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Review Of Furlough Claims

In recent weeks, HMRC have been making it clear that they will be auditing furlough claims where they believe there has been an inaccuracy, whether deliberate or not. They believe between 5-10% of claims made contain some form of error. It is likely that there will be a large number of furlough claims across the […]

Read more September 22nd, 2020

Running Effective Virtual Meetings

Over the course of the past few months, we have all had to adapt to working remotely. Despite lockdown restrictions, many businesses have found ways to move their operations online, with all staff working remotely. This has given rise to an increased volume of virtual meetings on services such as Skype, Zoom, Teams, WebEx or […]

Read more September 21st, 2020

Can Soft Skills Be Taught?

A positive attitude, a strong work ethic, an innovative mindset, being a team player – are just as important to employers as practical skills and academic background. It is important to have teams of people who have the hard skills to do a job – i.e. they’re qualified, have relevant experience, can write code, design […]

Read more September 21st, 2020

Contract Cancellations And Refunds Due To Coronavirus

There are a wide range of contracts that have been affected due to the pandemic. The statement outlined below replaces what was published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on 30 April 2020. The CMA’s view remains that a consumer will generally be entitled to a refund when they have paid money in advance […]

Read more September 8th, 2020

MTD For VAT Extended To 2022

Since 2019, the vast majority of VAT-registered businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold (£85,000) have been mandated to keep digital VAT records and send returns using Making Tax Digital (MTD)-compatible software. From April 2022 these requirements will apply to all VAT-registered businesses. It has also been announced that MTD for Income Tax […]

Read more September 8th, 2020

Property Business Owners Liable To Class 2 NICs

Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) are currently paid at the rate of £3.05 per week by self-employed earners. A person who is liable to Income Tax on the profits arising from the receipt of property rental income will only be a self-employed earner for NICs purposes if the level of activities carried out amounts […]

Read more September 7th, 2020

Company Vans As Motor Cars

The Court of Appeal have now ruled on the tax status of certain vehicles provided to employees of Coca Cola. The court has upheld the HMRC view that vans with windows and a second row of seats behind the driver are not goods vehicles but motor cars for benefit in kind purposes. Consequently, the income […]

Read more September 7th, 2020

Numerous Fraudulent CJRS Claims Identified

HMRC’s CJRS fraud reporting portal had received over 2,000 reports of wrongful claims. Examples of such wrongful claims include; Claiming furlough payments for staff who are continuing to work Furloughing staff but asking them to work “voluntarily” on an unpaid basis. Claiming furlough payments for “ghost” employees, and those who left employment before 19 […]

Read more September 7th, 2020

Kickstart Scheme Launches In November

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched the Kickstart Scheme, designed to create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. The £2 billion Kickstart Scheme is designed to create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people across […]

Read more September 3rd, 2020

Job Retention Bonus

The government is introducing a new Job Retention Bonus to provide additional support to employers who keep on their furloughed employees in meaningful employment, after the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends on 31 October 2020. The Job Retention Bonus is a one-off payment to employers of £1,000 for every employee who they previously claimed […]

Read more August 27th, 2020

Brexit Transition Planning

As the end of the Brexit Transition period approaches, we look at what you will need to do from 1st January 2021. While this might seem far away at present, and with little of Brexit finalised, it is necessary to start planning now. The Government website covering the UK Brexit transition, has an interactive questionnaire […]

Read more August 26th, 2020

How To Improve Your Sales Strategy

In today’s challenging trading environment, a good sales strategy is essential. With the world changing at a rapid pace, from both technology as well as current events, you must always be looking for new sources of sales. Talk to existing customers Your current customers are one of your best sources of information. Your existing customer […]

Read more August 25th, 2020

Instagram Stories As A Marketing Tool

Today’s customers are making purchase decisions based on the story behind a particular brand. Instagram’s Stories functionality can allow you to harness this. Instagram Stories allows you to post photos and videos in chronological order to tell a “story”. These posts do not appear in your regular collection of Instagram posts: instead, they disappear after […]

Read more August 25th, 2020

Cultivating Creativity

Creative businesses tend to be successful – just look at Google, Netflix or Amazon. So how do you start cultivating creativity in your business? You can’t force creativity, but the right environment will enable your team to work in new and innovative ways in order to generate imaginative solutions. Business is all about people. Hiring […]

Read more August 25th, 2020

Returning From Furlough

Bringing your employees back from furlough is not a straightforward process. As furloughed employees begin to return to work, business owners and managers need to consider both the practical and emotional aspects of returning to “normal”. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been unprecedented. After several months of lockdown and social distancing, some employees […]

Read more August 25th, 2020