Tax 2010/2011 For Dummies: Amazon.co.uk: Sarah Laing: Books

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Fully updated for the 2010/2011 tax year, this book takes the hassle out of tax

Although you can′t escape tax, you can make it easier to deal with. Whether you want to work out the taxes on your own business, make tax–efficient investments or simply understand where your money′s going, this plain–English guide has it all. Get to grips with the UK tax system and discover how to make potentially significant savings on your tax bill.

Tax facts – get the low–down on tax essentials
Tax through your ages – find out how to make the most tax–savvy decisions at every stage of your life
Pensions and benefits – understand the ins and outs of taxes paid on pensions and state benefits
Working for someone else – keep an eye on your pay packet and make the most of incentive schemes
Working for yourself – learn how to manage your company′s taxes, whether you′re just starting out or are a veteran business–owner

Open the book and find:

Advice on complying with self–assessment regulations
Techniques for calculating how much income tax you owe
Updates on the most tax–friendly investments for you and your children
How to manage property tax, whether you′re buying, selling or renting
Ways to reduce inheritance tax
The best way to pay VAT on your own business
The tax benefits of becoming a limited company
Day–to–day tax–saving techniques

"Tax 2010/2011 For Dummies is expertly written in plain, everyday language that makes a complicated subject easy to understand. It′s simple to follow, and full of invaluable tax tips and reminders. Highly recommended for someone looking for a straightforward introduction to the world of tax."
—Mark McLaughlin, CTA (Fellow) ATT TEP, Chartered Tax Consultant, Author and Editor

Learn to:

Understand your tax status and fulfil your legal obligations
Calculate your business taxes
Fill out a self–assessment form
Make tax–efficient investments

From the Back Cover

Fully updated for the 2010/2011 tax year, this book takes the hassle out of tax

Tax facts – get the low–down on tax essentials
Tax through your ages – find out how to make the most tax–savvy decisions at every stage of your life
Pensions and benefits – understand the ins and outs of taxes paid on pensions and state benefits
Working for someone else – keep an eye on your pay packet and make the most of incentive schemes
Working for yourself – learn how to manage your company′s taxes, whether you′re just starting out or are a veteran business–owner

Open the book and find:

Advice on complying with self–assessment regulations
Techniques for calculating how much income tax you owe
Updates on the most tax–friendly investments for you and your children
How to manage property tax, whether you′re buying, selling or renting
Ways to reduce inheritance tax
The best way to pay VAT on your own business
The tax benefits of becoming a limited company
Day–to–day tax–saving techniques

Learn to:

Understand your tax status and fulfil your legal obligations
Calculate your business taxes
Fill out a self–assessment form
Make tax–efficient investments

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

Useful, but not essential 21 Oct 2010

By The Dunelmian VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I thought it would be useful, as an accountant in public practice, to have a look at this book and see how it stacks up against more traditional annuals.

It's not bad at all. Quite well written, with some useful hints and tips spread through each section.

However, it is lacking in detail in many areas.

My preferred annual is Tolley's Tax Guide. When compared against that, it becomes apparent that Tax for Dummies is very much dipping your toe in the water of tax rules and regs.

In other words, it will give you the basics and for most people either reassure them they don't have a problem, or flag up that further research is required.

Finally, I am not convinced that the Dummies book effectivley picks up on areas where different taxes can interact or, worse, impact on one another (it is no use saving on one tax if you trigger a charge to another, something that is a big risk in such as inheritance and capital gains tax planning).

But stepping back, this is after all one of the Dummies series where no prior knowledge is assumed, so it deserves 4* out of 5 for putting together what is actually a logical and well presented introduction to the (complex) UK tax system.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

All I ever wanted from a book on taxes 6 Oct 2010

By R. Stevens

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Ever tried reading the help sheet while filling in a tax return? If so, like me you probably gave up on understanding taxation at that very moment in time.

I've been thinking about starting my own business lately and wondering about all the diverse implications this would involve. I've also been wondering about pensions, both linked to company creation and in general. This book has come like a ray of light from heaven. Explanations I can easily find and follow! Not only that, but the book is so well cross-referenced that should questions come up regarding one subject while researching another you know exactly where to go to find the answers - it tells you.

In fact the book is so well laid out you wonder whether it reads your mind, it anticipates your next question and answers it right away. And if the information isn't as detailed as you'd like, you're given references to web sites and other sources that will provide that detail. I am very impressed by the author, Sarah Laing, who not only knows her subject, but also how to dilute it down for us tax mortals.

Of course, I can't yet report on putting this information into effect and testing its validity, but I don't see any reason to doubt it.

Another good thing about this book is its size - it's quite small, therefore not at all daunting. Some help guides are so thick and wordy that they put you off opening them, but Tax 2010/2011 for Dummies is pleasantly concise, in large part because it doesn't repeat the same info over and over, it just tells you where to find it within its pages when you need it.

If you need help with tax and are not quite ready to see an accountant, this book will probably be a great help.

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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

Absolute Beginners, Beware! 17 Oct 2010

By AlanMusicMan TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Back in the days when I knew nothing whatever about tax I repeatedly found that documents from the Inland Revenue (now HMRC) which were supposedly meant to explain taxation in a simple way, failed to lighten my darkness and in fact often confused me further.

In recent years the accessibility of such HMRC documentation has improved greatly, but as with all things written by, or on behalf of experts, there is always the danger of assuming the reader already knows some basics. In other words, it's always hard or impossible for the subject-knowledgeable writer to put themselves in the mindset of the complete newcomer (or dummy as this series of books annoyingly insists on calling novices).

There are barrier words in any subject, and you have to understand what those words mean before you can enter the subject. One of my main barrier words for taxation was "Allowance". To me, an allowance was what American parents give their kids. Why, I wondered, in my rookie days, would the tax people be offering me an allowance? The term was never properly explained in those older IR documents, yet it was so often used that it formed a barrier to my understanding.

Eventually I got my head around the subject of taxation (well, as much I felt that I needed to), but ever since those days I have had a simple yardstick for judging how useful material intended for 'dummies' on Tax is going to be. Does it provide a simple explanation of what "allowance" means, upfront?

This book, I'm afraid falls at that first fence. The "A" word first occurs on page 13 and then frequently thereafter without any explanation and although page 45 contains a minimal sort of explanation in passing, it's never explained in words of one syllable. Similarly, look in the index, lots of "A" word references there - but not "Allowance - definition of". There's lots of stuff explaining who are HMRC and how you can contact them and so on, but nothing that explains something so basic as what a tax allowance means? Hmmmmmm.

Now, the book itself, if you already have some knowledge of the tax system, is a very useful resource - it contains a great deal of detail about how the tax system works in detailed areas and what you can and cannot do within the latest rules. But I fear that without revisiting the basics, most of that material would not be comprehensible to a newcomer (or a dummy!) and thus I think the book fails its stated intended audience.

Overall verdict: Avoid this book if you are completely new to taxation. Buy this book if you know the basics of the tax system and want to expand your knowledge about the latest changes and wrinkles within it.

Alan T

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