Posted on: 22 December 2025
Introduction
With Christmas just around the corner, most people are winding down, wrapping presents, and trying to remember where they hid the good chocolates.
I’ve been doing something slightly different.
I had a look at our blog stats to see which articles people didn’t just click on but actually stayed and read. The ones where the average reading time was over two or three minutes, which usually means someone was thinking, “Ah… this is exactly what I needed.”
What stood out wasn’t panic or doom. It was curiosity, planning, and people wanting to understand their position so they could make better decisions. That feels like a pretty good place to be heading into Christmas.
So, in the spirit of keeping things positive (and avoiding heavy tax reading over the holidays), here’s a quick recap of the tax questions everyone was reading in 2025, and why they mattered.
10) The Tesla Question That Never Seems to Go Away
Average dwell time: 2m 43s
Buying a Tesla company car in 2023
This blog was a real-world walkthrough of how buying a brand-new Tesla through a limited company actually plays out, tax-wise, using a proper scenario (Jill the contractor, cash in the company, mostly personal use).
Rather than giving a vague “yes it can be tax efficient”, it went into the practical mechanics people care about: making sure the purchase is in the company name, why VAT is usually not reclaimable unless it’s a genuine pool car, and why the corporation tax relief can be very attractive for brand-new fully electric vehicles due to 100% first-year allowances.
The key message was upbeat and simple: for many contractors, a new electric company car can be a genuinely sensible option, as long as you understand the trade-off (big corporation tax relief, but a small ongoing benefit-in-kind and employers’ NIC cost). In other words, it’s not magic, but it can be a very nice win when it’s done properly.
9) The Inheritance Tax Change Non-Doms Didn’t Want to Be Caught Out By
Average dwell time: 2m 44s
Inheritance Tax Changes for UK Non-Doms in 2025
This blog was all about a major shift coming in from 6 April 2025, where inheritance tax for non-doms moves from being based on domicile to being based on where you live, which is a big mindset change for anyone who’s built assets outside the UK.
Rather than getting lost in technical jargon, it focused on the real “oh wow” bits people remember, including the 10-year long-term resident concept, and the new “tail provision” that can keep your non-UK assets within the UK inheritance tax net for years even after you leave the UK (in some cases, up to 10 years).
The key message was positive and practical: if you’re planning to live in the UK long-term (or you already have), this isn’t something to fear, it’s something to understand early. The earlier you know where you sit, the more options you have.
8) The Kiwi Landlord Reality Check (In a Good Way)
Average dwell time: 2m 46s
NZ Rentals, UK Taxes: What Every Kiwi Landlord in the UK Needs to Know
This blog was all about the “I’ve got a rental back home” scenario, and why it can feel simple in your head… right up until you remember you’ve got two tax authorities to keep happy. The key point was clear: NZ taxes it because the property is there, the UK taxes it because you’re here, and the double tax agreement only helps if you report it properly in both places.
It also tackled the practical details that trip people up, like converting NZ figures to GBP, fitting NZ accounts (often to 31 March) into the UK tax year, and the big UK vs NZ differences, especially mortgage interest (deductible again in NZ from 1 April 2025, but handled as a basic-rate credit in the UK) and chattel depreciation (allowed in NZ, not allowed in the UK, where you instead rely on replacement domestic items relief).
The key message was: if you get the basics right, you can stay compliant without drama, and you’ll generally end up paying the higher of the two countries’ tax overall, not both in full.
7) The “Am I Actually UK Tax Resident?” Question
Average dwell time: 2m 51s
Tax Residency 101: What Kiwis and Aussies in the UK Need to Know
This blog was all about UK tax residency, and why it’s the starting point for almost everything else, especially if you’ve still got money or assets back home (NZ/Aus rentals, dividends, savings interest, the lot). It opens with that very common assumption, “I left home, so I must have stopped being tax resident there, and I arrived in the UK so I must be tax resident here”… and then gently explains why it’s not always that simple.
Rather than getting stuck in theory, it walks through the practical core: if you’re UK tax resident, the UK generally taxes you on a worldwide income basis, which is why overseas rental income often still needs reporting in the UK, even if it’s already taxed back home (DTAs help, but they don’t usually remove the need to declare). It also flags the curveball many people miss: you can live and work in the UK without being UK tax resident in some situations, which completely changes what you need to report.
The key message was empowering rather than scary: once you know where you sit under the Statutory Residence Test, you can stop guessing, plan properly, and avoid nasty surprises later.
6) The EV Finance Question Contractors Keep Asking (Because It Actually Matters)
Average dwell time: 2m 53s
This blog was all about a very specific (and very common) question: if you want a new electric company car, is it better to go Contract Purchase (a bit like hire purchase) or Business Contract Hire (leasing)? And rather than talking in theory, you used real quotes for a BMW iX i20 to show the cash flow and tax impact in pounds and pence.
It focused on the practical differences people forget: VAT recovery depends on whether the agreement is treated as a supply of services and whether the car is a genuine pool car (often meaning only 50% VAT recovery on the finance element for mixed use), and capital allowances can hinge on who actually owns the car and when (with Contract Purchase, ownership can stay with the leasing company until the balloon payment).
5) The “Can I Just… Borrow It?” Limited Company Money Question
Average dwell time: 2m 53s
Can I borrow money from my limited company?
This blog was all about director’s loans, in other words, taking money out of your limited company as a loan rather than as salary or dividends, and how to do it without accidentally creating a tax headache.
It reminded readers there are four main ways to take money from a company (salary, dividends, expense reimbursements, and loans), then zoomed in on the two “gotchas” people tend to forget: once your loan balance goes over £10,000, you start drifting into interest/benefit territory, and if the loan isn’t repaid within nine months of your year end, the company can get hit with a Section 455 tax charge (currently 33.75% of the outstanding balance), which is very much a cash flow sting.
The key message was positive and practical: yes, you can borrow from your company, and in plenty of cases it’s absolutely fine, you just want to do it with a bit of timing and structure so it stays a useful tool rather than an expensive surprise.
4) Sold the House Back Home, Then HMRC Popped Up Anyway
Average dwell time: 2m 58s
Sold in New Zealand, Taxed in the UK: What Kiwi Expats Should Expect
This blog was all about that classic “wait… what?” moment for Kiwi expats: you sell a property or shares in New Zealand, and then discover the UK may still want a slice, simply because you’re UK tax resident when the sale happens.
It walked through the key moving parts people tend to remember once they’ve read it: NZ doesn’t have a general CGT, but the bright-line test can still bite (and RLWT can apply for offshore sellers), while the UK takes a much broader view and can tax the gain using the original purchase price (no “fresh start” when you move). It also covered the good news, the NZ–UK double tax agreement, which is designed to prevent double taxation by giving credit where tax has already been paid.
The key message was reassuring: yes, it can feel like you’re caught between two systems, but once you understand the rules (and get the timing right), it’s usually a case of reporting properly in both places and paying what’s genuinely due, not being taxed twice.
3) The Kiwi Property Tax Puzzle (Solved)
Average dwell time: 3m 15s
Capital Gains Tax on New Zealand Property for UK Residents
This blog was all about a question many Kiwi expats in the UK eventually bump into: “If I sell my NZ property while I’m UK tax resident, why does the UK want to tax the gain?” It’s one of those things that sounds counter-intuitive until you unpack the tax residency logic.
Rather than drowning readers in technicalese, the post broke down the key points people really want to understand: in New Zealand, there’s generally no capital gains tax (CGT) except under certain bright-line or specific land rules, whereas the UK taxes worldwide gains once you’re resident here. That means the UK doesn’t give you a “fresh start” at the date you moved – it uses your original purchase price to calculate the gain on disposal, which can feel surprising if you’re used to NZ’s approach.
The blog also explained how the NZ–UK double tax agreement works in practice: the UK may tax the gain but then give relief for any tax paid in NZ, so you don’t end up double-taxed on the same economic profit. Put simply, the key message was reassuring and practical: the tax is about where you live at the time of sale, not about where the property is, and once you understand that core principle, it’s much easier to see your options and plan ahead.
2) The SDLT Surprise That Caught Property-Owning Expats Out
Average dwell time: 3m 20s
SDLT Surcharge for Property-Owning Expats
This blog was all about a tax twist that surprises a lot of Kiwis and Aussies buying property in the UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) can be higher than you expect if you already own property overseas, even if you’re not buying a second UK home.
Instead of diving straight into numbers, the post walked readers through the why behind it. The key point was that the SDLT surcharge doesn’t just look at UK property – it looks at every piece of residential property you own worldwideon the day you complete the UK purchase. That means a house or investment property back in New Zealand or Australia can tip you into the additional property rate on your UK purchase, which can add thousands of poundsmore in tax than many expats expect.
The key message was clear and practical: knowledge is money saved. If you understand how SDLT sees your property portfolio before you make an offer, you can plan the timing and structure of your purchase – and avoid waking up on completion day wishing you’d asked this question first.
And finally, the moment you have been waiting for. The blog article with a whopping 3m 32sec dwell time, the highest for any blog article in 2025 is;
“…the service has been fabulous.”
Ah Mike, we think you’re pretty fabulous too!
1) The Tax Changes Everyone Wanted to Understand Before 2025
Average dwell time: 3m 32s
Crunch Time for Kiwis and Aussies: Tackling the 2025 UK Tax Overhaul
This blog was all about the big UK tax changes coming into force from April 2025, and what they actually mean in real life, especially for Kiwis and Aussies living in the UK.
Rather than getting lost in headlines, the blog focused on the practical points: the end of the £2,000 foreign income exemption, the shift towards residence-based taxation, and who really needs to take action versus who can safely relax. Judging by the time people spent reading it, this was one of those posts where readers thought, “Right… I needed to understand this properly.”
The key message was reassuring: yes, things are changing, but with a bit of forward planning, none of it needs to spoil your Christmas.
Final thoughts
If this list tells us anything, it’s that most tax questions aren’t about trying to be clever or cutting corners. They’re about wanting to understand the rules properly, early enough to make good decisions and avoid unpleasant surprises.
Whether it’s property back home, tax residency, company cars, or simply taking money out of your business the right way, clarity beats stress every time.
So if any of these topics are sitting quietly in the back of your mind as you head into Christmas, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The answers will still be there in January, and so will we.
For now, switch off, enjoy the break, and have a great Christmas 🎄