Business Taxation - What are the main taxes?

Small businesses, and the individuals who run them, are subject to a wide array of taxes - from Corporation Tax to National Insurance. This is an overview of the main taxes you will encounter as a small business owner, together with links to our in-depth guides.

Corporation Tax

Corporation Tax is a tax on limited companies' taxable income or profits.

For Corporation Tax, companies have to calculate their own tax liabilities, and are liable to pay the calculated tax to the Inland Revenue without prior assessment.

Payment of Corporation Tax itself is due 9 months and one day after the company's "normal due date" - usually the last day of your annual accounting period.

The Small Companies Tax Rate increased from 19p to 20p during the 2007/8 tax yea and to 21p in 2008/9. The rate remains at 21% for the 2009/10 tax year.

Read more in our dedicated Corporation Tax Guide

Value Added Tax

VAT is a tax on the final consumption of certain goods and services in the home market but is collected at every stage of production and distribution. Most business-related goods and services will therefore be subject to VAT. There are several UK VAT rates, the standard rate being 15% (expected to return to 17.5% at the start of 2010).

Companies should register for VAT if the value of your taxable supplies in the past 12 months or less has exceeded the current VAT registration threshold of £68,000 (from 1st May 2009; previously it was £67,000), or the value of your taxable supplies in the next 30 days alone is expected to exceed this threshold. It is important to remember that turnover is the amount of money going through the business, not just the profit.

Read our dedicated guide to Value Added Tax.

Alongside the main VAT rules, some small businesses may be better off by operating within the flat rate VAT scheme which has been running since 2002.

In essence, instead of paying Customs the total VAT charged on invoices minus any input VAT you may reclaim, you charge a fixed percentage of your gross turnover and pay that amount to Customs each year.

Business Rates

Just as you have to pay council tax on your home, so your business must pay business rates for its premises. They can be a pain and an overlooked cost when you first start looking into premises.

Rates are due on most business premises or other non-domestic properties, such as shops, offices, pubs, warehouses and factories.

Rateable values are based on a previous valuation of the market rent. And the rateable value must be re-valued every five years. The next revaluation is expected to be on 1st April 2010, based on a valuation of 1st April 2008.

If your rateable value is less than £15,000 (or less than £21,500 in Greater London) you may benefit from the Small Business Rate Relief scheme. You will need to register your eligibility with your local authority.

Read our dedicated guide to Business Rates.

Stamp Duty

Businesses may have to pay Stamp duty for transactions on the transfer of land or interests in land; grants or assignments of leases; and transfers of chargeable securities such as shares in companies.

These are split into two different types of Stamp duty. The first, Stamp duty land tax is applicable if you rent or buy premises, and can catch small businesses out when they are first establishing roots.

The second, Stamp duty reserve tax, may apply when you purchase shares or other securities.

Read our dedicated guide to Stamp Duty.

National Insurance

National Insurance is a deduction from earnings, set up originally to fund various State benefits such as the NHS, the State pension and other welfare-related schemes. In reality, it is just another tax.

Sole traders pay income tax on their business profits (as self-employed individuals). In addition to PAYE (income tax), they are liable to pay National Insurance contributions (NIC's).

Unlike sole traders, for tax purposes, if you are a director of a limited company, you are an 'employee' of the company. You are therefore liable to pay Class 1 NIC's on your earnings. The limited company is also liable to pay Class 1 NIC's as your 'employer'.

Read our dedicated National Insurance Guide.

PAYE

Pay As You Earn is a scheme operated by HM Revenue & Customs to take income tax from employees as they earn it.

If you run your business as a sole trader, then you are self employed and not affected by PAYE. You will self assess your income and complete a tax return.

However if you run a limited company and draw a salary, then you are an employee (even if you are a director). You need to understand PAYE and what your obligations as an employer are. It’s a deeply complicated subject with many rules, and you would be well advised to get professional advice on your particular situation.

Read our overview of the PAYE Scheme.

Capital Gains Tax

From 6th April 2008, the Government has applied a flat 18% CGT rate on business disposals, however the so-called “entrepreneurs relief” scheme was conceded which applies a 10% rate on business disposals made by business owners – up to a lifetime allowance of £1m.

Read our Entrepreneurs' Relief Guide

Capital Allowances

The system of tax relief on expenditure on equipment in your business is a complex one. Broadly, when you buy a piece of equipment to use in your business, you cannot normally set the full cost against that year’s profits, unless the value of the item is quite small, or a special tax relief applies.

The cost of more expensive items is written off against profits over a number of years, using the Capital Allowances System

It might be worth reading some relevant updates to the Capital Allowances System for 2008-9 here.