Stratford-upon-Avon
13 The Courtyard
Timothy's Bridge Road
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Warwickshire CV37 9NP
The freezing of tax thresholds can result in a phenomenon commonly referred to as 'fiscal drag'. This occurs when tax allowances and rate bands remain unchanged while wages and inflation increase. As earnings rise, more taxpayers are ‘dragged’ into paying tax or moving to higher tax bands, despite there being no increase in the actual tax rates.
Fiscal drag is sometimes described as a “stealth tax” because government tax revenues increase without the need for headline rate rises. Its impact is particularly noticeable during periods of high inflation and wage growth, as pay increases intended to maintain living standards can instead lead to higher effective tax burdens.
The effect depends on several factors, including inflation, earnings growth and government policy regarding tax thresholds and allowances. Normally, thresholds may be increased annually in line with inflation, a process usually known as uprating. However, governments may decide to freeze thresholds for fiscal reasons.
In recent years we have seen a number of personal tax thresholds frozen for extended periods. As a result, increasing numbers of taxpayers are paying tax at higher rates, while some individuals who previously paid no Income Tax have become taxpayers for the first time. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that the continued freeze in Income Tax thresholds until 2030-31 will raise more than £55 billion annually by 2030-31.
Fiscal drag can therefore have a significant impact on disposable income, particularly where salary increases are modest in real terms but still sufficient to move taxpayers into higher bands or reduce entitlement to certain allowances and benefits.
Grenfell James Technology Adoption Index
How does your business perform against others adopting financial tech? Find out with our interactive diagnostic:
1.
How does your business receive invoices?
A)
Invoices are mainly received in paper form
B)
Invoices are mainly received by email
C)
Invoices are emailed then automatically forwarded to a designated mailbox
2.
How are purchase invoices processed?
A)
Invoices are entered manually
B)
Invoices are attached to manually raised invoices
C)
Automated software (e.g. ReceiptBank, 1Tap, HubDoc etc) collates invoices
3.
How are accounts processed?
A)
Using Excel/paper-based
B)
Using Computer-based, offline software
C)
Using cloud-based accountancy software
4.
How often is business data revised?
A)
Data is updated annually
B)
Data is updated quarterly
C)
Data is updated monthly or more often
5.
How is banking updated for your business?
A)
Banking is updated manually
B)
Banking is updated by imports
C)
Banking is updated via a live feed
6.
How are bank payments made?
A)
Bank payments are manual
B)
Bank payments are made using bulk imports
C)
Bank payments are made directly via accounting software
7.
How are bank receipts reconciled?
A)
Receipts are chased and reconciled manually
B)
Receipts are chased and reconciled automatically
C)
A third-party platform is used to chase debts and collect fees
8.
How often are management reports produced?
A)
No reports are provided
B)
Reports are provided but often too late to be valuable
C)
Reports are automated with real-time information
Score 8-12:
Curious Exploration
Your financial technology phase is Curious Exploration
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
Switching accountancy systems may seem like an upheaval, but can be much more straightforward than most businesses imagine. From talking to our clients, they have found moving from paper invoicing and desktop-based accounting software to the cloud and apps quickly makes the transition process a worthwhile investment of time. Digital accounting solutions bring in streamlined processes, up-to-date business data and greater confidence in the accuracy of information when making financial decisions.
Grenfell James works with your team to fully assess the needs of your business and minimise the impact of any transitions for solutions we recommend.
Score 13-19:
Measured Discovery
Your financial technology phase is Measured Discovery
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
Once cloud accountancy software is in place, there’s still plenty of scope to improve your accountancy processes and make sure your business is maximising the benefits of adopting a digital accounting solution. Grenfell James assesses each business to understand how any implemented solutions are being used, identify areas for improvement and the needs of the business overall to support your business goals and achieve success.
Our team of experts can discuss a range of time-saving automation and get different apps and cloud-based solutions talking to create and manage a digital accountancy eco-system to help your business grow.
Score 20-24:
Bold Innovation
Your financial technology phase is Bold Innovation
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
You know the benefits of accounting technology and the impact it can have on your business goals. If you want to take it a step further, our team can conduct a systematic review of your processes, apps and business goals to ensure your digital accountancy ecosystem is keeping pace with the changing needs of a growing business.