Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[geogphotos]

32 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Could be, if your self-employed turnover is under £1000. Your accountant ought to know but it was my understanding that if your self-employed income, however little it was, took you over the personal allowance you had to fill in a self-assessment form- otherwise you'd effectively be getting an extra £1000 on your presonal allowance. But I could be wrong- I haven't been on PAYE for 30 years.

Come to think of it if you have a GOV account and don't usually get an HMRC letter in the post this time of year you're probably in the clear.

 

At some stage it might be a good idea to have some discussion - in general terms obviously - about the best ways for those of us in UK to make use of HMRC rules. 

 

As I understand it you are correct that the £1000 is the limit for the 'tax free trading allowance' and it is a gross figure so no costs/expenses are deductable to arrive at the £1000. 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by geogphotos

[spacecadet]

19 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

At some stage it might be a good idea to have some discussion - in general terms obviously - about the best ways for those of us in UK to make use of HMRC rules. 

 

As I understand it you are correct that the £1000 is the limit for the 'tax free trading allowance' and it is a gross figure so no costs/expenses are deductable to arrive at the £1000. 

 

 

I think this must have changed in the last decade or so because when I started out there was no lower limit as such. But as you say it is effectively an additional £1000 personal allowance.

For a contributor here that would amount to some few tens of thousands of images- though some of us have a much better RPI!

Though I have in the past I certainly don't reach it nowadays, but then a day on a film set pays rather better than a year on Alamy..

Edited April 11, 2022 by spacecadet

[Bryan]

Quote from the HMRC web site

 

"You must send a tax return if, in the last tax year (6 April to 5 April), you were:

self-employed as a ‘sole trader’ and earned more than £1,000 (before taking off anything you can claim tax relief on)

a partner in a business partnership

You will not usually need to send a return if your only income is from your wages or pension. But you may need to send one if you have any other untaxed income, such as:

some COVID-19 grant or support payments

money from renting out a property

tips and commission

income from savings, investments and dividends

foreign income"

 

Sadly both the Mrs and I have to do one every year (or maybe gladly as you have to be making it to be paying it).    Photo income is just part of the story.

 

Solar panels were a great investment, and that income is tax free. UK Government Index linked saving certificates are also tax free, although they are changing from RPI to CPI from now on.

[Betty LaRue]

5 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Google has a find my phone too. In your Google account go to: https://myaccount.google.com/find-your-phone

Obviously you have to allow Google to access your location.

 

wim

I’ll be picking my son up from the airport in 2 hours. I’ll ask him about the things you brought up. But I have a feeling he didn’t avail himself of those services. He was so depressed he didn’t want to talk about it and still may not. If he feels stupid for not thinking about security, he won’t discuss it. That’s the way some engineers are, at least my engineer. He does buy Samsung, and has already bought a new one. He’s also upset that he lost all of his business contacts. I sent him all of the family numbers to enter during his Denver 3 hour layover idle time.

He lost the phone in Santa Barbara, California, not here in Kansas. 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[wiskerke]

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I’ll be picking my son up from the airport in 2 hours. I’ll ask him about the things you brought up. But I have a feeling he didn’t avail himself of those services. He was so depressed he didn’t want to talk about it and still may not. If he feels stupid for not thinking about security, he won’t discuss it. That’s the way some engineers are, at least my engineer. He does buy Samsung, and has already bought a new one. He’s also upset that he lost all of his business contacts. I sent him all of the family numbers to enter during his Denver 3 hour layover idle time.

He lost the phone in Santa Barbara, California, not here in Kansas. 

 

Yep know the mood.

Then again he may just get lucky. Samsung to Samsung is as easy as iPhone to iPhone.

Just try phoning his phone before his battery runs out. One never knows.

 

wim

[Bryan]

I listened to a very interesting programme on BBC radio 4 last night Tax Me I'm a Millionaire.  In it a group of very wealthy individuals, who were aware that a  great disparity in wealth existed, wanted to see changes to better even out the share.  Some of these individuals had inherited their wealth (e.g. a member of he Disney family) while others had generated it by entrepreneurial activity.

 

They argued that the current tax system favours those with financial investments and property at the expense of those who pay tax on their earnings. So, for example, the owner of a town house in a fashionable area in a big city had seen their property value rise in a year by considerably more than the annual wage of a worker elsewhere in the country. That worker will be paying tax on their income, but the house owner will not pay tax on their accumulation of wealth.  But that is just one example, there are many devious and not so devious ways to accumulate untaxed wealth if you are wealthy to begin with. 

 

In essence these very wealthy but public spirited  folk would like to see changes in the tax system so that wealth, as well as income, was taxed.  Intriguing stuff.

[spacecadet]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

but the house owner will not pay tax on their accumulation of wealth. 

On the other hand, it will be taxed when the gain is realised on sale unless they live there. Then there is inheritance tax on death.

Our house is worth eight times what was paid for it in 1991 but our incomes have not seen such a rise, so any ideas how we would pay the wealth tax? We live in it, we're not making money out of it, we're not oligarchs or non-doms. . Of course there IS a property tax- it's called council tax. Ours is now £2500 a year.

£1M for a fairly ordinary 4-bedroomed terrace in London now is not at all unusual. Things are not always what they seem.

Edited April 12, 2022 by spacecadet

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, spacecadet said:

On the other hand, it will be taxed when the gain is realised on sale unless they live there. Then there is inheritance tax on death.

 

I don't think that you pay tax on the sale of your main residence Mark, you would if it were a rental property or bought as a speculative venture  There are ways around inheritance tax. 

 

We live in a nice house in the north, very happy here, but the sale of it would not buy a small flat in London.  So if we both wanted to move to the Lake District, for example, you would probably be be able to afford it and I could not.  It's multi faceted problem, no easy answers.

[spacecadet]

1 hour ago, Bryan said:

I don't think that you pay tax on the sale of your main residence Mark,

That's why I said unless they live there.

If you know of ways round inheritance tax on a single property which is a main residence pray tell.

 

 

[Rebecca Ore]

Bank card showed up.  Yay.   Paid the breakfast tab; will pay half of what I owe my British friend tomorrow, and pay some additional on the credit card fairly soon. 

 

The reason Correos Managua could tell Correos Jinotega that it was in Nicaragua was that they opened it and taped it back up.  If I hadn't gotten it by Wednesday, I wouldn't have gotten it until after Easter.  

 

Luis is going to clean the house today, and will be off from Thursday through Sunday.  Neither of us are particularly brilliant housekeepers, so I can live with what he does because it's not worse than my own housekeeping. 

[Dave Richards]

4 hours ago, spacecadet said:

That's why I said unless they live there.

If you know of ways round inheritance tax on a single property which is a main residence pray tell.

 

 

There is the nil rate band allowance that can add another £175K tax free on top of the present tax free allowance. I understand it’s quite a complicated process to claim though.

Edited April 12, 2022 by Dave Richards
correction

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, spacecadet said:

That's why I said unless they live there.

If you know of ways round inheritance tax on a single property which is a main residence pray tell.

 

 

 

Suggest you consult a financial adviser, but some (legal)  ideas here. 

[Betty LaRue]

20 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Yep know the mood.

Then again he may just get lucky. Samsung to Samsung is as easy as iPhone to iPhone.

Just try phoning his phone before his battery runs out. One never knows.

 

wim

He’s been in touch with the police department in California, and discussing pinging the phone. The smartest thing a thief could do is immediately remove the Sims card so it can’t be pinged.

[Betty LaRue]

It’s great to watch the birds busy building nests. Spring is wonderful except for this crazy weather. The city has been beautiful with trees blooming white lining the streets. Now the redbuds…a beautiful purple, starting to blossom.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Bryan]

3 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

It’s great to watch the birds busy building nests. Spring is wonderful except for this crazy weather. The city has been beautiful with trees blooming white lining the streets. Now the redbuds…a beautiful purple, starting to blossom.

We seem to be rid of the overnight frosts ( for now) and the days are warmer. A bonus of our new house extension is being able to sit and watch the birds in the garden. I've taken to eating my breakfast in there. This has the further advantage that I avoid the depressing news on the TV relating to Ukraine. The berberis and the plum tree are in bloom, but the apples are yet to show. Only negative, we've had to mow the lawns.

[Betty LaRue]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

We seem to be rid of the overnight frosts ( for now) and the days are warmer. A bonus of our new house extension is being able to sit and watch the birds in the garden. I've taken to eating my breakfast in there. This has the further advantage that I avoid the depressing news on the TV relating to Ukraine. The berberis and the plum tree are in bloom, but the apples are yet to show. Only negative, we've had to mow the lawns.

Yes, I have to pay for mowing and I’ve already had two at $30 each. We’ll get a frost or light freeze tonight. I hope it doesn’t kill my crabapple blooms. They were killed last year. They are a beautiful deep rose color. I think I’ll go out in the next couple of days and buy new potting soil and 3 tomato plants. Maybe a bell pepper plant. My son starts his new job Monday next, so I need to get some work out of him! He can unload those bags of soil and fill the pots for me.
I don’t nearly have the garden you have Bryan, but there’s something special about digging one’s hands in the dirt and growing things. Makes one’s spirits soar, and gives me something to go outside and stare at 10 times a day. 😂 I hope plants aren’t like watched pots that never boil. After tonight, it’s time to hook the water hoses up.

[Bryan]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

Yes, I have to pay for mowing and I’ve already had two at $30 each. We’ll get a frost or light freeze tonight. I hope it doesn’t kill my crabapple blooms. They were killed last year. They are a beautiful deep rose color. I think I’ll go out in the next couple of days and buy new potting soil and 3 tomato plants. Maybe a bell pepper plant. My son starts his new job Monday next, so I need to get some work out of him! He can unload those bags of soil and fill the pots for me.
I don’t nearly have the garden you have Bryan, but there’s something special about digging one’s hands in the dirt and growing things. Makes one’s spirits soar, and gives me something to go outside and stare at 10 times a day. 😂 I hope plants aren’t like watched pots that never boil. After tonight, it’s time to hook the water hoses up.

Great looking trees in your photos Betty !  We'll be turning on the water at the allotment shortly, when we are sure the danger of a hard frost is past. Up until now I've used water collected from the greenhouse roof, and there has been enough for seedlings, but not for the mature plants later in the year. Last year late frosts hit some of our fruit trees, but most were OK. Living relatively close to the sea we have a fairly benign climate, never too hot and rarely very cold.

[spacecadet]

5 hours ago, Bryan said:

We'll be turning on the water at the allotment shortly, when we are sure the danger of a hard frost is past.

 

Denbies vineyard has heaters to save the vines after they asked a local farmer which months were sure-fire frost-free and he said "August". In Surrey.

Edited April 14, 2022 by spacecadet

[Bryan]

Our local National Trust property reopened yesterday. The cafe is no longer there but Washington Old Hall is again open for visitors. We normally play music in there once or twice a week, if we are at home, and Covid has meant that  it's been a long time since we were last involved. The fine weather brought a steady stream of visitors and a number of budding young musicians were able to join in with a bit of percussion on the bodhran. Uniquely a skilled drummer also turned up with his family and he provided a satisfying accompaniment. More fun than photography, almost on the same level as planting leeks on the allotment !

[Ed Rooney]

 

Yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day in America, when all players on all MLB teams wear Jackie's retired number, 42. I was lucky enough to see Jackie play in his early days in Brooklyn.

 

Recently, I discovered that I'm able to watch MLB game highlights free on YouTube here in the UK. We also get to watch the full Game of the Week. 

 

😀

[Betty LaRue]

14 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day in America, when all players on all MLB teams wear Jackie's retired number, 42. I was lucky enough to see Jackie play in his early days in Brooklyn.

 

Recently, I discovered that I'm able to watch MLB game highlights free on YouTube here in the UK. We also get to watch the full Game of the Week. 

 

😀

That’s great! I’m presently watching a pair of bald eagles, Jackie (female) and Shadow (male), raise their eaglet, Spirit.  Bald Eagles of Big Bear. Interesting enough, Bob was stationed in California, and we lived a few miles from the base. Big Bear mountain and lake was not far, and we often went there. Lake Arrowhead was halfway up. The top was where tourists visited the most and where we rented horses to ride for an hour. All we could afford.

The stable guy brought out two horses for us. One was sleek, black and beautiful. The other was brown and not beautiful. I quickly grabbed the black one. It tried to bite my knee for the whole hour, while the brown one was sweet. I was constantly terrified I’d get bitten between fighting the danged horse from turning and running back to the stable.

When we got back to pay, Bob found his wallet had bounced out of his back pocket. We panicked. The guy allowed us to ride the horses free to backtrack our trail. Thankfully we found it.

We had almost no money in those days, and an hour was all we could pay. There might have been $3 left after paying.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Betty LaRue]

I ordered a new iPad Pro with the Apple M1 chip yesterday, along with the pen. They will be here tomorrow.  Good thing is that most of it is paid for. I use my Amazon card for everything…fuel, eating out, groceries, shopping. The points mount, and to my surprise I had around $800 to spend a few months ago when I paid attention.

You can’t believe some of the handy/needed things I’ve ordered since, while continuing to build more points every time I use the card.

I’m thinking of getting a creative app that I can doodle with, painting, drawing, something easier to work with than the difficult PS.

Edited April 16, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Michael Ventura]

Took my first airplane trip since the pandemic started, left last Wednesday and return tomorrow. I met up with my childhood guy friends in Austin, Texas.   Normally there are five of us but one had to bail out.  Three live in New York and one in Texas… and Texas one (in Houston) couldn’t make it due to the religious holidays. Still had loads of fun, laughs and great meals!  I brought my Sony RX100 IV so I could shoot some stock if it presented itself but hanging with these guys was the main and most important thing.  Having old good friends is a value that can’t be measured.

[Martin L]

9 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I ordered a new iPad Pro with the Apple M1 chip yesterday, along with the pen. They will be here tomorrow.  Good thing is that most of it is paid for. I use my Amazon card for everything…fuel, eating out, groceries, shopping. The points mount, and to my surprise I had around $800 to spend a few months ago when I paid attention.

You can’t believe some of the handy/needed things I’ve ordered since, while continuing to build more points every time I use the card.

I’m thinking of getting a creative app that I can doodle with, painting, drawing, something easier to work with than the difficult PS.

You could give Krita a go. It’s free, open source so nothing really to lose if you don’t like it

 

Oopps doesn’t work on iPad

Edited April 17, 2022 by Martin L

[Allan Bell]

 

Got my appointment to get my covid Easter booster jab tomorrow. That will be number four.😃

 

Allan