Inheritance Tax – Main Residence Allowance
At present Inheritance tax (IHT) is payable at a rate of 40% on the value of the estate over and above the tax-free allowance (known as the ‘nil-rate band’) of £325,000 per person. Married couples and Registered Civil Partners can pass the any of the unused allowance onto each other, effectively resulting in a maximum […]
Abolishing Payment of Industrial Tribunal Fees
Since the UK Government introduced fees for applying to Employment Tribunals, the number of applications has diminished by a staggering 80% or thereabouts. Generally, the feeling has been that the imposition of not insignificant monetary fees was unfair and more than likely to create a barrier to accessing justice for employees. To try to limit […]
Moving House
It is said that moving house is the third most stressful experience after bereavement and divorce. Although I have not suffered the second, I have suffered the first and while moving house cannot be compared to the loss of a loved one, it is an extremely stressful experience. As a solicitor having been in practice […]
A Year of Lower Alcohol Limit
Just over a year ago, on 5 December 2014, the alcohol limit for drivers in Scotland reduced from 80 milligrammes of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood to 50 mg of alcohol in every 100 ml of blood (in breath, 35 micrograms to 22 micrograms per 100 millilitres). According to the Scottish Government, this […]
James & George Collie raise money for local charities
“So, you’re willing to do it then, Jamie?” – this is the initial sentence that started off my training and culminated in my running the 2015 Inverness marathon. It was a lunchtime Social Committee meeting in early February and I had just agreed to run the Baker Hughes 10k for Collie’s two chosen charities, Friends […]
Was 2015 As Bad as We Thought?
Q4 Market Review An already volatile 2015 has witnessed further turmoil this quarter as concerns regarding the crisis in Greece receded following a last minute bailout only to be quickly replaced by concerns that growth in China may be slowing and could impact on global economic growth. In addition, the wider geopolitical problems and tragic […]
Dilapidations under Commercial Property Leases – Recent Developments
Prudent tenants of commercial property should make provision in their accounts for their anticipated dilapidations liability at the end of their lease. Typically in a commercial lease liability for nearly all repairs and maintenance is passed on to the Tenant. During the lease the Landlord can demand that their Tenant carries out repairs (and […]
The Consumer Rights Act 2015
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 came into force on 1 October 2015. It applies to contracts between traders and consumers entered into after 1 October 2015. Contracts entered into before the coming into force of the Act are still governed by the previous legislation, namely the Sale of Goods Act 1979, as amended. This is […]
Buying Property at Auction
Buying property at public auction or “roup”, to use the Scottish term, was commonplace in Scotland many years ago. However, although auctions have always taken place, it has been comparatively rare in recent times for properties to be sold by auction. Property here has been either sold on the open market or by private agreement […]
Congratulations on becoming a new Company Director
Have you recently, or are you about to, become a director of a Company? If so, you should expect to receive a letter in the form below from Companies House, along with a leaflet on Directors’ Duties, but you may wonder why? Previously, the appointment of a new director could be filed electronically, […]