Mushroombiz Insights

The recent UK budget has introduced significant changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) concerning agricultural property, effective from April 2026. These reforms are poised to impact the financial planning of farmers and landowners across the country. Key Changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR): Introduction of a £1 Million Allowance: The first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property will continue to receive 100% IHT relief. Assets exceeding this threshold will be eligible for a reduced relief rate of 50%, resulting in an effective IHT rate of 20% on the value above £1 million.   Impact on Family Farms: While the...

Before exploring how to keep employees the best starting point surely is to ask: why do staff consider leaving in the first place? Oddly, more often than not it’s not about (or just concerned with) money. Of course, it is important to correctly value your staff but a lucrative salary isn’t enough alone to demonstrate this. Employees leave for a multitude of different reasons: to seek a new challenge, to secure a better work-life balance, not aligning with company values or ethics, a lack of development opportunities, or even bad leadership and a lack of respect.  So what can you...

Unfortunately, this can be quite a common situation for many businesses. Particularly as more employees than ever before are working away from the office, either at home or remotely. The concern here is for the price of IT equipment and also protecting confidential information and your business. So what can you do to make sure you get your company property back? 1) Make it clear in the employment contract The usual case is that an employee is leaving the company and you require them to return equipment you’ve provided them for doing their job. But this isn’t always the case...

In this article, we look at ways you can get noticed and attract talented staff amid fierce competition and a shortage of candidates. I was sitting in a recent Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce winter presentation and I was shocked at just how bad the labour shortages are right now. In Greater Birmingham alone, 57% of businesses have tried to recruit new staff in the last quarter, with 62% reporting problems getting people through the door. COVID-19 has awoken many to the merits of enjoying a better work/life balance, avoiding burn-out and the desire to be more discerning in their...