Today, 23 March, marks the 2-year anniversary of the first national lockdown and while this seems a long time ago, the majority of us can remember this as if it were yesterday.
Today is also the National Day of Reflection to remember those family members, friends, colleagues and neighbours that were sadly lost to COVID-19.
The charity Marie Curie has created an online ‘Memory Cloud’ https://www.memorycloud.org.uk/ where you are able to create a digital memorial to pay tribute and share memories of a loved one.
We’d also like to mention the amazing job that Richard Easterbrook of Estrada Exports has been doing to help refuges fleeing the war in Ukraine. If you would like to help him in his efforts, he has set up a donation page: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1024781864916265/?fbclid=IwAR0mUAgkInKeIl6K_VTL23AEdFKgN8C1jxJIgN_x-BaBO9RQXmMkGkw2zOU
The Spring Statement has been delivered today by Rishi Sunak. More details will follow on this but the main points are set out here, including the fuel duty cut and an increase in the Employment Allowance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-statement-2022-business-support-factsheet/spring-statement-2022-business-support-factsheet
Please be aware that HMRC has issued warnings to individuals and businesses that file Self-Assessment Tax Returns about scammers trying to steal money or personal information. There were over 570,000 reports of scams last year. Please look out for scam texts, emails or calls offering refunds or demanding unpaid tax. If you are in any doubt whatsoever, please do nothing and contact us for advice. Further information can also be found by searching for ‘HMRC scams’ advice on GOV.UK.