When there was a window tax paid according to the number of windows in a building, property owners blocked out some windows with the sole purpose of paying less tax.

Was this tax avoidance? Yes

Was this illegal? No

Marriage and civil partnerships are provided with many reliefs within the tax system and I'm surprised why people claim otherwise.

Business Partnerships

Where one spouse is a partner, it's very often the case that their spouse gets involved in the business later on, for example, a wife decides to stay at home when the children are young and instead of working for a third party, helps out in her husband's business.

Necessarily a muted Budget, as the Chancellor had little room for manoeuvre, but there were a couple of surprises to keep us interested!

National Insurance £2,000 Credit - from April 2014

Giving a £2,000 credit from April 2014 against employer's national insurance is a welcome initiative which may encourage small businesses to take on some staff.

With its tax reliefs improving over recent years, Research & Development claims should be given more attention.

For SMEs, when you spend £100 on R&D, your corporation tax is not only reduced by the £100 you've spent, but also by an additional £125, taking the total deduction against your company bill to £225.

If you're paying 20% corporation tax, you've saved additional tax of £25 (£125 @ 20%), taking total tax saved to £45 (£225 @ 20%).