In December, optician reported that Marc Bennett, partner at London chartered accountants Alexander Edward Lee, claimed to have found small print in Gordon Brown's pre-statement announcement which would bring in National Insurance charges on the dividends paid out by shareholders of small limited companies (News, December 15).
'If practitioners do not act soon it may well be too late for them to have the opportunity after the Budget to extract dividends without National Insurance added,' he said this week.
'This will have a far bigger impact on the earnings of opticians than last year's hike in the rate of National Insurance.
'Opticians who are just about to incorporate, may wish to rethink their strategy or at least wait until after the Budget announcement on March 17 before incorporating.'
A specialist financial adviser to the profession has repeated his warning that some practitioners will face 'shock' tax and National Insurance rises following next month's Budget.
