Just started a Limited Company in the UK… seems very similar to the US system with a couple of exceptions.
Accountants are MUCH more expensive here, and just as critical to have for filings, etc. Like double the US rates I pay.
There are not as many tax advantages (from what I understand now). The US gives more breaks to promote small business.
The government watches you much more closely here, monitoring your bank account even.
If you have a non-public company, any person can still get a look at your books - unlike the privacy of US companies.
Filings and working with the UK Government is MUCH easier than the US. very user friendly websites and modern ways to file.
One last thing - Wave Accounting has been a great find for doing the books. You can do you accounts in the cloud with a good software for FREE. Just like Quicken online, but no monthly fee. There’s even an OCR app for receipts that you can run from your phone. Downside, Cloud means you can’t use offline.