Opinion

R&D and innovation was a key feature in Rishi Sunak’s Autumn Budget. The Chancellor underlined his aim to raise direct and indirect public support for R&D to 1.1% of GDP in 2024-25, well above the OECD average of 0.7%. The Government hopes to bounce back from the financial impact of th

Michael Reid, insolvency practitioner and managing partner at Aberdeen-based chartered accountants Meston Reid & Co, considers the role of a licensed insolvency practitioner. Anyone asked about the daily tasks performed by a licensed insolvency practitioner (LIP) might guess they include busines

Mark Sterritt, UK network director, Scotland at the British Business Bank, discusses angel investment in Scotland. The experience of the past 18 months has underlined the importance of a diverse and accessible financial ecosystem – both in terms of the type of finance available and the provide

Mark Sterritt, UK network director - Scotland at the British Business Bank, talks about the success of the Start Up Loans programme in Scotland and the value that new business brings to the Scottish economy, particularly as we focus on recovery. Scotland’s entrepreneurs may have faced multiple

The UK Government has introduced legislation designed to support small businesses following the end of restrictions on winding up petitions on 30 September, writes Joanne Gillies, partner at Pinsent Masons. The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA) introduced in June 2020 restrict

Neil Bradbrook, managing director of Falkirk-based Ahead Business Consulting and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management, discusses the importance of diverse thought in a business. When it comes to running a business, nothing is more important than diversity of thought. No matter ho

VAT can only be claimed as input tax if the associated costs are incurred in respect of a business (economic) activity and rural businesses need to be aware that HM Revenue & Customs continues to challenge VAT recovery, warns Sean McGinness, partner and head of VAT, Saffery Champness. In Babylon

Derek Money, head of sales at White Oak Leases & Loans in Glasgow, on why it's time for lenders to deliver asset finance solutions that work for the Scottish business community. There has been an uptick in businesses both in Scotland and across the UK using asset finance as we emerge from the pa

Businesses emerging from the Covid-induced cocoon of furlough payments used to retain their workforce since the pandemic struck are now facing the cold wind of scrutiny as HMRC gears up to claw back any cash that may have been handed over in error, writes Christine Rolland, forensic accounting

Andrew Scouller, an independent financial advisor at Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd, discusses further education funding in the wake of COVId-19 and Brexit. As students return to college and university, it’s an apt time to reflect on how the seismic changes wrought by the pandemic and by

Colin Miller, partner at Burness Paull, discusses the recent crackdown on pharma companies for breaching competition law. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK competition watchdog, has recently issued record fines against a number of pharma companies for breaching competition law.

Lyn Calder, corporate finance partner and head of family businesses at Anderson Anderson & Brown (AAB), highlights the intricacies of investing in the family business. I wear a lot of hats at AAB, one of which is leading a team that supports our family business clients, and another is a Corporat

Adam Swayne, a solicitor in the Asset Protection Group at Murray Beith Murray, looks at how to effectively pass on cryptocurrency through a Will. Every year, millions of pounds worth of cryptocurrency are lost forever because the owners of the currency failed to put a plan in place to leave it to lo

Elaine Elder, an associate at Aberdein Considine, discusses the implications of the new policy adopted by Aberdeen City Council to tackle the local empty-housing crisis. Aberdeen City Council has adopted a new policy to tackle the local empty-housing crisis.A "last resort" for the authority under th

A severe shortage of working capital is set to cause a growing number of business failures as companies responding to the recovery become overstretched and insolvent due to a lack of cash, James Fennessey, restructuring partner with Azets in Scotland, has warned. Working capital is the liquidity ava