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I have just been looking through the proposed rules for determining whether an individual is UK resident or not. The changes should make determining the residency status of someone a lot easier going forward. Whether or not this is a good move we will not know until the rules are fully in place but I do believe that it a positive approach to an area that has always been a bit of a minefield.

Applause filled Horsham’s Capitol Theatre last night as local heroes and organisations received recognition for their outstanding contribution to the community. The West Sussex County Times Community Awards Ceremony was a touching occasion and more than 20 deserving winners were presented with awards.

We were delighted to sponsor a performance of The Messiah at Chichester Cathedral on Saturday 17th December. The Hanover Band and Chorus, directed by Andrew Arthur, performed beautifully. The Messiah was composed by Handel in 1741 and is his best known choral work.

It has been announced that HM Revenue & Customs will be extending the normal 30 day deadline to which tax payers can appeal late penalty notices to 31 March. This is to help with the expected increase in their phone lines over the next few weeks with some individuals not being able to get through to an adviser.

The Winston’s Wish fundraising firewalk was a great success on Saturday 12 May and we helped to raise more than £4,500 for the leading childhood bereavement charity. Lady March, President of Winston’s Wish, kindly offered Goodwood Motor Circuit as the prestigious venue for the event which involved 26 firewalkers.

On 29 June my brother Mark and I will visit Lord’s to pay tribute to Fred Spofforth, the legendary ‘Demon Bowler’. Our distant relative who was one of the most popular players of the 19th century has been inducted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In honour of his contribution to the game we will be presented with a commemorative cap.

It was a real honour to visit Lord’s on 29 June 2012 and accept a posthumous International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame cap on behalf of Fred Spofforth, "the Demon Bowler", of Australia. The ICC invited my brother Mark and I to receive the commemorative cap as Fred has a common ancestry to us.

Many congratulations to Gemma Spofforth who came 5th this evening at the 100m backstroke. She is a true inspiration overcoming so much heart break over the past eighteen months. Extraordinary and a lovely interviews with Mark Spofforth and Gemma by the BBC.

We are delighted to confirm that Gemma Spofforth will compete in the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay heats at the Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Friday 3 August. The relay team has just been announced by officials and Gemma is already busy training. She will take part in the qualifying heats tomorrow morning and could go on to race in the final on Saturday. Good luck Team GB!

Once again, Team Spofforths is set to take part in the annual Highland Adventure Race in aid of the Mitchemp Trust. From 8 to 9 September 2012, we will join forces with clients to compete against around 30 other teams in the Scottish Highlands. After a summer of intensive training we will cycle, hike and canoe 60 miles. It is a tough challenge and we were proud to come 4th in 2012 but we are ambitious and aim to win the race this year.

The Men’s National Champion of Champions Competition, during the Bowls England National Championships 2012, provided great entertainment at Worthing’s Beach Park House. We were proud to sponsor the event which attracted thousands of fans from across the UK. Spofforths partner Peter Hussey was delighted to watch the final and present Matt Coppen, a deserving winner, with his trophy. He beat Cambridgeshire's Robert Drew 21-17 in what proved to be an action packed game.

Richard Spofforth has just completed the gruelling Land's End to John O'Groats cycle challenge in aid of the British Paralympic Association.

We are delighted that the Horsham Christmas Charities Market, on 25 November 2012, proved such a success despite some wet weather. The market was full of Christmas spirit as a number of charities set up festive stalls in the town and there was also great variety of entertainment. Heart Radio played music by the bandstand and visitors enjoyed rides on a traditional steam bus. The bus proved popular, generating £250 for charity. We were delighted to sponsor the event and hope that all the charities raised a good amount on the day.

With the first signs of snow this year already upon us there will no doubt be a number of people who will be forced to work from home to avoid the potential travel issues that arise. Reimbursing your employee for use of home expenses is possible however there are some tax issues that you need to consider. The repayment of expenses wholly for the purpose of an individual’s employment will not cause any tax issues. It is the expenses which are not being incurred in this manner that may result in additional tax payable. An example of where a tax charge may arise is in relation to costs such as broadband; where a line is not installed specifically for business use then the reimbursed payment, even if it is only a proportion of the cost of the employee, will be treated as earnings on the individual. The reimbursement of mobile phone costs can also be treated as earnings where the contract is in the employee’s name and a claim for the monthly standard charges is made.

From 6 April 2013 HMRC intends to remove ESC B47, thereby removing the ‘renewals basis’ for replacing assets in a furnished property letting businesses.

Joint accounts are rightly popular as they allow two or more people to pay into and draw out of the same account. It is widely known that if one joint account holder dies the others can carry on using the account. Accounts in one name only are frozen when the account holder passes away