Mark Morton shares his reaction to a recent BBC Radio 4 Money Box interview on Making Tax Digital (MTD), questioning its effectiveness, highlighting concerns about low taxpayer engagement, and discussing whether the initiative is delivering any real benefits for self-employed businesses and HMRC. Based on current uptake figures and industry feedback, Mark argues that MTD may be creating additional costs and complexity without achieving its original objectives.

https://www.mercia-group.com/courses/making-tax-digital-where-are-we-now/

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In this episode, Lee Eagling (Technical Consultant at Mercia Group) discusses the new ICAEW requirements effective from July 2026, requiring authorised training employers to implement formal annual appraisals for partners, directors, audit staff, and students. The podcast explores the background to the changes, compliance expectations, practical implementation options, and why effective appraisal processes can deliver benefits beyond regulatory compliance.

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In this episode, Mark Morton unpacks HMRC’s latest Tax Update 26, exploring proposed changes to self-assessment, ISAs, national insurance, and debt collection. He questions whether these reforms truly simplify the system or add further complexity, while highlighting the real-world impact on taxpayers, businesses, and financial planning.

Blog: https://www.mercia-group.com/insights/tax-update-2026-reform-and-changes/

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Mark Morton breaks down the latest HMRC update on payrolling benefits, highlighting delays, phased rollouts, and growing complexity for businesses. With uncertainty around timelines, compliance, and reporting, the episode explores why the system may become even more confusing before it improves.

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Mark Morton reviews the chancellor's pre-bank holiday announcements, covering free children's bus travel, reduced VAT on family activities and meals, fuel duty, mileage allowance changes and what they mean in practice for businesses and families. Mark offers a candid take on whether these measures are likely to make a material difference and who they really benefit.

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In this episode, Mark Morton explores the complexities of tax penalties, prompted by a recent high-profile case involving a significant understatement with no penalty applied. He breaks down key concepts like reasonable care, voluntary disclosure, and HMRC’s approach to enforcement, highlighting the nuances that often go unnoticed by both taxpayers and advisors.

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In this honest and relatable episode, mental health first aider Louise Conner shares her personal journey and practical tips for maintaining wellbeing. From breaking stigma to finding what truly works for you, this episode offers simple, real-life ways to build resilience, prioritise self-care, and ask for support when you need it most.

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In this short Mercia podcast, I take a look at Associated Companies, an area that's quietly become a hot topic again. With Corporation Tax rates and bands shifting, HMRC are clearly paying attention, and we're seeing a steady stream of "nudge" letters landing on agents' desks asking them to revisit their associated company position. I walk through why the rules feel particularly tricky right now, the remit for direct or indirect control is extremely broad, the attribution rules pull in family members anywhere in the world, and the "substantial commercial interdependence" test hasn't been tested in court for over a decade, leaving a lot of subjectivity in play. With interest rates where they are, getting your quarterly instalment payments wrong could be an expensive mistake. If you'd like to go deeper, I'm running a one-off course on this on 21 May, available live or on-demand. https://www.mercia-group.com/courses/associated-companies-with-mark-morton/

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In this reflective Friday-afternoon podcast, Mark explores how training and learning have changed since the pandemic. Drawing on recent travel, teaching experience, and observations from professional education, he weighs the benefits of Zoom against the undeniable value of face‑to‑face interaction. From silent online courses to engaged classroom discussions, this episode asks an important question: are we really learning better now than we were before?

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In this post‑Easter episode, Mark Morton shares his reflections on recent tax developments and policy decisions. From frustration with Making Tax Digital and fuel duty at the pump, to mileage rates that offer little real‑world help, Mark also highlights growing concerns around the recovery of winter fuel payments from pensioners and the risks of PAYE coding errors. A candid look at the increasingly baffling world of UK tax.

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