- "In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably…and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us."
Alex Tanner, George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd - "Bird Luckin has looked after us incredibly well for over 60 years, they are pro-active and innovational - meeting all our needs to help us achieve our aims."
Richard Stubbings, Cliffords Limited - "I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!"
Colin Webb, Walthamstow Stadium - "It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support."
Jane Bennett, Bennetts Funeral Directors - "Although we deal mainly with one Partner … we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily"
Jeremy Ruggles, J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd - "Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks"
Matthew Sullivan, SNC Ltd - "You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference.""
Robert Church, W A Church (Bures) Ltd - "The work which Bird Luckin has done for Boddingtons over the past few months has helped shape our future direction for the better."
John Warner, Chief Executive, Boddingtons Ltd - "Bird Luckin has acted for us since our inception 10 years ago. They have a very 'can do' yet highly professional attitude - we are very appreciative of their support and advice over the years."
Marlon Fox, Outlook Property Ltd
Millions of taxpayers in line for early tax refund
HMRC has confirmed that more than three million tax refunds are to be sent out as of next week - two months earlier than previous years - due to an earlier review of the amount of tax paid for 2011/12 via the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system.
It estimates that up to 3.5 million taxpayers may have over-paid tax and will receive an average repayment of £379, while up to 1.6 million may have to pay an average of £537 to the tax man due to the underpayment of tax.
PAYE allocates individual tax codes to each taxpayer in the UK to reflect personal circumstances, with the aim of deducting the right amount of tax at source. However, while HMRC believes the majority (85 per cent) of individuals will pay the correct amount of tax, around 15 per cent will require end-of-year adjustments to take into account a change of circumstances, including:
- If the individual moved jobs frequently and had gaps between periods of work,
- If the individual had multiple jobs or pensions, affecting the tax free allowance spread between them, or
- If benefits in kind were provided by the employer and if they may have changed during the year.
Stephen Banyard, acting director general for personal tax at HMRC, said it was 'pleased' to start the process more quickly, saying it would 'give money back to those we owe and deliver certainty to those with something to pay.'
PAYE has an automatic review or 'reconciliation process' at the end of each tax year to establish whether taxpayers have paid the correct amount of tax.
Those who have paid too much tax will receive an automatic repayment without the need to make a claim, while HMRC will usually automatically recover any underpayment from those who have paid too little tax via the PAYE system in instalments over the coming year.
Those who have paid too much or too little tax will be informed by HMRC via post (form P800) starting from 17 May 2012 and over the next couple of months. It is hoped that the automated process will be completed by October 2012.