Good morning and welcome to Monday’s 9am Lowdown.
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In the news
Speaking to French newspaper Le Monde, Philip Hammond has said Britain will not slash taxes and regulations after Brexit to undercut European rivals. (The Times)
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Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is due to appear in a Spanish court later today, accused of evading €14.7m ($17.3m; £13.1m) in tax since 2010. (BBC News)
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The government has stepped in to try to speed up business rate relief to thousands of small firms. (BBC News)
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FRC has launched a probe into the 2015 and 2016 year-end audits of FTSE 250-listed outsourcing business Mitie. (City A.M.)
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Deloitte has reported a mean gender pay gap of 18% for hourly fixed pay at 5 April 2017. (Employee benefits UK)
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HMRC has published a revised policy on VAT zero rating for new buildings intended for use solely as care homes. (Gov.UK)
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What’s new on AccountingWEB
Trent McLaren says the best way to understand how to retain your staff or keep them engaged is to understand the reasons why employees leave.
Neil Warren highlights common errors and problems that can go wrong in practice with the option to tax.
The Any Answers question of the day comes from anneaccountant who wants to know if an outside shed used as a store can be allowable expense for a BnB business.
In her inaugural blog, new firm But the Books explains how volunteering with the Prince’s Trust led to her starting her practice.
On the ICPA’s industry update page, Mark McLaughlin warns that making gifts in the wrong order can result in the loss of a valuable inheritance tax relief on certain assets such as business premises