Here are my top ten tax tips:

1. Have your tax return completed and submitted to HMRC as soon as possible after 5 April (ideally by 31 August);
2. If you have substantial dividend income, or are self-employed, budget for your tax payment monthly;
3. If your non-PAYE income is significant, understand the payments on account system as soon as possible (https://blackshawtax.com/2016/11/18/tax-interim-payments-on-account-a-simple-guide/);
4. Pensions tax relief and ISA allowances are very generous – save as much as you can as early as you can, to maximise the tax breaks;
5. Before you worry about inheritance tax, make sure you and your family have wills, powers of attorney and adequate life insurance (and even after that, don’t worry about it too much);
6. Don’t introduce tax risk into your finances (https://blackshawtax.com/tax-risk-a-few-warnings/);
7. If you buy a foreign holiday home (or even a helicopter or jet), at some point you will regret doing so (and, if you must buy one, don’t put a complex and costly structure around it that may work today but not tomorrow);
8. If a slightly artifical structure (eg using a company for assets, paying yourself in dividends or loans) saves you tax today don’t assume that it will do so in a few years’ time (and don’t assume that it will be easy, in practical or tax terms, to collapse);
9. Take advice before you do something – if the “something” is overseas, take foreign tax and legal advice first;
10. If you run a business, remember that VAT and PAYE are not your money – don’t “borrow” or spend the taxes – instead keep an eye on your own business net cashflows.