Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The latest Clay Shaw Butler Money Matters column from the Carmarthenshire Herald. By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. Everyone knows that it pays to check the small print. So it is with the Government’s Autumn Statement. Over the last couple of weeks, Money Matters has focussed on some of the main items in the Government’s ‘state-of-the-nation’ autumn housekeeping, such as the U-turn on Tax Credits. This week, the focus is on some more of the small print in some of the personal tax issues (for those with business and employment tax issues, we will get to these topics in the coming weeks). The Chancellor George Osborne combined the Autumn Statement and with what is called a Spending Review when he presented his key points to Parliament. Here is our summary of just some of the key personal tax issues – Taxation of dividend income: Currently, when a dividend is paid to an individual, it is subject to different ta...

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around Llanelli) from the Llanelli Star - It’s been quite a year for Llanelli concert promoter and impresario Cerith Owens – and 2016 promises to be bigger and better. Mr Owens has worked tirelessly during the year to develop his stable of ‘Rising Stars’ at Loud Applause Productions. He explained: “I was already heavily involved in concert promotion in Llanelli, but I could see the need to provide different platforms to help develop young talent in the area. “We’ve got so many talented youngsters in the area and they all need careful tuition and mentoring to fulfil their potential. “My core idea was to provide them with ‘gentle’ introductions to concert stage – and it seems to have worked a treat. “Many of the Rising Stars team are now familiar figures on bigger concert stages – Samuel Morris, Daniella Difede, Keely Morgan and Jordan Williams, for example. “They will continue to develop further over the next year and at...

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post. Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. www.philevans.co.uk ------------------------------------------ SMALL TALK IS A BIG BORE: This time of year, there are four words mentioned in newspapers and magazines and heard in TV advertisements that chill me to the bone. “It’s the party season!” With the exception of those that start at two pm, feature jelly and ice cream and ‘Pass The Parcel’ before finishing promptly at four pm with goodie bags handed-out to the little ones as they’re collected by their parents, I cannot abide parties. I’m a tolerant person, who appreciates a joke – whether I’m telling it or hearing it – and I enjoy a good night out. But I’m hyper-allergic to those excruciating ‘fun’ celebrations of enforced jollity, surrounded by obnoxious, boozed-up people, as loud music blasts our eardrums while everyone stands around making small talk – something I h...