RSM has acquired Swindon-based chartered accountants Banks BHG, which provides specialist accountancy and taxation services to small and medium-sized businesses as well as private wealth clients, in a deal which will see the firm expand its presence in the south west market

Brexit has created an environment of radical uncertainty. It is more important than ever for organisations to act with conviction about the anticipated future outcomes from potential accounting implications to the tone of the board, say Costa Coffee’s Malcolm Finn and University College London’s (UCL) David Tuckett 

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) for workers under the age of 25 and apprentices has increased by between 3% and 4.7%, with employers having to implement the new rates from 1 October

The government has formally announced it is to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act (ECA), which will ensure that legislation is passed in advance so that EU law ceases to apply and domestic law can take its place on the day that the UK exits the EU

Professional development news roundup includes income growth for both PwC and Deloitte, growth of 20% at Menzies, OTS hires three non-execs

The ambitious and rushed HMRC Making Tax Digital plan calls for a complete IT overhaul for advisers and businesses when it comes to tax filings, quarterly reporting and inevitably a changed relationship with the tax authorities, reports Calum Fuller

Despite the majority of businesses and consumers transitioning to electronic payments and the government’s push to make more services move online, those who trade and pay solely in cash are still unlikely to make the move, according to research carried out by HMRC

BDO’s international network has announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft, which will see the two organisations collaborating on technology and services in a bid to accelerate the digital transformation of their clients’ businesses

The government has launched a four-week consultation on the long-delayed revaluation of business rates and details of transitional arrangements for businesses hit by substantial rises, which are likely to result in higher rates for one in four businesses

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is consulting on plans for a new European regulatory framework for financial benchmarks, which the regulator says will improve governance and control over the setting of benchmarks and ensure their accuracy, robustness and integrity across the EU

Women account for a smaller and smaller fraction of those with the highest incomes according to a study by the LSE’s International Inequalities Unit, which found that while women have been increasing their representation in the top 10% of earners, progress has been much less at the very top 0.1%

Just over a third (36%) of finance professionals working in the audit field in the UK believe that leaving the EU will have a negative effect on their career, with the main concern being the risks when companies move jobs based in the UK to Europe, reveals the first post-Brexit survey by jobs site, careersinaudit.com