Business confidence rose in the final quarter of 2016 according to data from the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM), although bad debt remains a risk going forward

FTSE 250 travel group Thomas Cook is the latest public company to come under fire from shareholders over its executive remuneration policy, with a third opposing a bonus plan for its CEO and a fifth rejecting its pay policy

Last week saw an interesting few days. We had the vote on triggering Article 50 in the Commons and a day later the publication of the Brexit White Paper. Getting in just before the filing deadline of 31 January, HMRC’s response to the six consultations on Making Tax Digital landed with a thud. Jonathan Reilly, head of tax at Grant Thornton reacts to the digitisation plans  

The bill giving prime minister Theresa May the authority to trigger Article 50 and start negotiations to take the UK out of the EU has passed its final stage in the House of Commons and will now move on to lords for consideration.

Investment group Hargreaves Lansdown has admitted that a number of historic dividend payments have been paid out in breach of Companies Act requirements, and is to hold an additional general meeting for shareholders next month to correct what it calls ‘a technical issue’ in how it accounted for the payments

Milk, butter and cheese producer Dairy Crest Group, Britain’s largest dairy company, has announced it has chosen Deloitte as its external auditor for the year commencing 1 April 2017, ending a 20-year relationship with EY

The Treasury is coming under pressure to provide a detailed analysis of the costs to business of Making Tax Digital, after business groups have suggested these may be as much as ten times greater than forecast

Most AAT members believe that compulsory pay ratios are the only way to control levels of executive pay, rather than voluntary initiatives, according to research which also indicated the majority feel government plans merely to require publication of pay ratios are unlikely to have an impact on remuneration rates

Gender diversity on boards is slowly improving, but at the current rate of progress it will take 20 years before global boardrooms achieve gender parity in Egon Zehnder survey

More than 80% of bankers anticipate the industry adoption of Blockchain by the end of the decade, as study from consultancy firm Infosys and its technology arm Infosys Finacle has found

The RSM international network has reported a 7.6% rise in fee income, totalling $4.87bn (£3.9bn) for the year ending 31 December 2016, its first full year operating as a unified, global network brand

Welsh firm KTS Owens Thomas is planning to expand into new markets in England and has launched a nationwide forensic accounting and litigation service, saying it anticipates ‘substantial growth’