2007 - March
You think someone has done a good job for the company and you’d like to put some cash in their pocket (tax-free) to say “thank you”. Is there a safe way of doing this?
Travel to and from work is regarded by the Taxman as ordinary commuting and hence not tax deductible. However, if your employee is “on call” you may need to pay them their travelling expenses. How can you do this and still save tax?
How much did you gain in 2006/7?
Do you know how much Capital Gains Tax (CGT) you are going to pay for 2006/7? The tax year closes on April 5, so what should you be doing (at the last minute) to minimise your CGT bill?
Splitting a business to avoid VAT
Your spouse has a business which has been doing rather well of late. So much so that its turnover will soon exceed the VAT registration threshold. However, you don’t want to register it for VAT. How can you do this?
Loading the interest calculation
You’ve just bought a piece of equipment on finance and have been told that only the interest on each instalment will be tax deductible. However, there is a way to claim a tax deduction for most of the interest up front. What is it?
If your company has accidentally overpaid your expenses, there’s something you’ll have to do before April 5 to avoid a tax bill. What is it?
Your company owns the freehold to your business premises and has been claiming Industrial Buildings Allowances. However, when it comes to selling the building this could result in an unexpected tax bill. How can you avoid this?
You’ve been told that employee training costs are allowable if incurred wholly and exclusively for the benefit of your business. If it’s you who wants to undertake the training, what’s your and the company’s position?
You’re already a director. Out of the blue you’re approached by another company and asked to join its board of directors. You’re flattered, but is it possible to hold more than one directorship?
Six months ago you were persuaded to sign up with a company that told you they’d put your name in their directory guaranteeing you loads of new business. You’ve had no leads at all. What can you do?
What if you employ a family member to do the office cleaning - isn’t it a company expense that you can pay from petty cash? What’s changed recently?
As a director, you’ve been lined up to chair a disciplinary hearing. The employee’s asked if the meeting can be recorded. Must you agree? What if they go ahead without even telling you?
You regularly give your partner some money out of the cash you have on you at the time. If the cash happens to be company money could this be a problem? And if so, how can you deal with it?
Trading overseas? Any VAT due?
You’ve just been approached by a customer from overseas who says that you don’t need to charge them VAT as long as they provide you with their VAT registration number. This would be a great benefit, but are they right?
Getting prepared for flexible working
An increasing number of staff are asking to work flexibly. However, you can see potential health and safety implications in allowing it. What, if any, are the issues and how can they be overcome?
When the fire alarm went off and you had to evacuate the building you realised there were many visitors on site. Although they were safely evacuated, it was more by luck than anything else. How should you resolve this problem?
Is a counselling service enough?
Intel Corporation recently lost an appeal and had to make a significant compensation payout to a member of staff after she was diagnosed as suffering with stress. What can you learn from this particular case?
Have you issued the right hearing protection?
You’ve had a visit from an inspector who made a request to see a formal assessment on the hearing protection you supply. What does he want to see, and do you have to do anything as no notice was issued?
Questionnaire or inspection, your call
Some local authorities are sending out questionnaires instead of doing inspections. If you receive one, do you have to complete it? And if so, what should you say?
Changes to construction laws have introduced a new role, known as a CDM Co-ordinator. To help you identify when, or if, you need to employ one, why not use our guidance and selection document?
One of your clients has requested that all the staff you intend to employ on his site must show a Construction Skills Certification Scheme card on arrival. As they don’t have them, this presents a problem. What are your options?
A free virus scanner by PC Tools
Earlier this year, PC Tools released a free version of its anti-virus software. What does this package offer and how does it distinguish itself from other freeware tools on the market?
A second life for your business?
Second Life is a virtual world where everyone can lead a “second” life. This community is very popular among surfers, but an increasing number of companies is trying to make money here too. Should you be present as well?
Even though you may have become a proficient user of Internet Explorer 7, there are still some handy tricks to be learnt. Here are some of them.
YouTube has rapidly become a hugely popular platform for video sharing, but most of the videos are there for entertainment only. Where can you find practical videos that can teach you something?
Monitoring all your e-mail addresses
Do you, like most people, have several e-mail accounts, for instance a POP account and a webmail account? A good e-mail checker can notify you whenever new e-mail arrives.
Browsing through world history
The Internet hosts thousands of websites devoted to the history of mankind, historical texts and sources, speeches, etc. We looked for some sites that deserve a bookmark.
FrontPage, but then (much) better!
Microsoft FrontPage, the well-known webpage-developing program, hasn’t been updated since version 2003. Let’s look at its successor - Expression Web.
If you’re looking to hire more people, or if you are someone out there planning to switch jobs, then the Web has sites that can help you to know about rates of pay for different occupations. We look at salary checkers and surveys.
Making the most of e-marketing
Online sales could rise by 40% this year according to the Interactive Media in Retail Group. We look at sites that help you to make the most of e-marketing.
We recently reviewed services that allow you to edit your photographs online. However, did you know that you can also edit videos online, without having to install any software?
With more than 21 million pets in ownership, it’s no wonder that workers take time off “sick” to look after them. How should you deal with this absence issue?
Getting the evidence to say no
An employee is due to return from maternity leave and has asked to work part-time. This request is inconvenient but you don’t know what evidence you need to safely reject it. What tried and tested arguments can you use?
Are our questions discriminatory?
At interview you ask candidates about their level of sickness absence for the last two years. However, a colleague has advised that this could have possible disability discrimination implications. If so, what are your options?
With new research showing that Britain is fast becoming the plastic surgery capital of Europe, what’s the situation for paying staff company sick pay or even SSP if they decide to go under the knife for some bodywork?
You suspect that one (or more) of your employees is participating in online gambling whilst at work. Apart from the possibility of becoming addicted, and their work suffering, how can you clamp down on this behaviour?
The Taxman has recently issued new guidance on the expenses the self-employed can claim whilst working from home. What’s changed? And has it helped with the exclusive use of a room debate?
Classic cars come in all shapes and sizes. You might be considering owning one - nothing fancy, just something affordable. But did you know that it could now be tax efficient if your company owns it instead. How?
You are about to make a year-end management charge to a related company. However, if the associated company is not registered for VAT it won’t be able to recover any VAT you charge on top. What can you do to reduce this VAT cost?
The Taxman’s been at his word processor again. If you get one of his new letters asking about building work carried out on your house, how should you react?
In the event of a tax investigation, the Taxman can, and will, widen the scope of his enquiries to include personal bank and building society accounts. What can you do now to bring down the cost of a potential enquiry?
Having decided to go your separate ways, one of the financial aspects yet to be sorted out is the family company. If you leave this to the last minute there could be Capital Gains Tax to pay. So what should you be doing now?
My accountant said it was deductible
On justifying their decision to claim some costs as tax deductible, a taxpayer said that he had asked his accountant and they had been told it was OK to do so. Is this an excuse you could use during an enquiry?
Your company has two leased cars which you’d like to return twelve months early. Although the leases are in the company’s name, all the directors have given personal guarantees. Could there be problems?
Taking the law into your own hands
Your company premises keep coming under attack from vandals and would-be burglars. The repair costs are soaring yet the police seem uninterested. How far can you go in taking the law into your own hands? Do you risk personal liability?
Who pays the VAT on that private purchase?
When it comes to claiming the VAT back on, say, a £2,000 plasma TV you’ve bought through the company, the VATman will take a tough line. How can you make sure you get more generous treatment?
If, like many directors, you let out properties to tenants, new rules are about to change how you deal with their deposits. How can you protect yourself?
As the director with responsibility for the IT systems in your company, what do you need to have in place to get your company up and running quickly after a failure of some description?
Your company seems to have a problem with managing stock - the longer you hold on to it, the more it costs you. How can you readily assess your stock situation and is it possible to (safely) reduce what you carry to save money?
Fire safety signs - what’s required?
You’re concerned that since the fire laws changed you haven’t had time to invest in any additional fire safety signage. Will you be OK if an inspector visits, or do you need to invest in additional signs?
You’ve invested in BlackBerrys to enable you to get hold of your staff during busy periods. However, one of them has complained and says it’s causing her to suffer from “stress”. What should you do about this?
Making a fit-to-work assessment
One of your staff has recently been diagnosed with a medical condition which can cause him to lose concentration and suffer blurred vision. He claims it won’t affect his ability to do his job, but you have concerns. What should you do?
If you’ve been thinking about publishing safety statistics, what can you learn from the HSE’s recent experience in doing so?
On April 6, 2007 the construction regulations will change dramatically. You’ve heard that this will mean anyone employing a construction contractor, even for minor works, will carry new duties. So how should you prepare?
A picture tells a thousand words
You need to explain your essential health and safety information to clients, new staff etc. and want to do this without having to issue them with reams of paperwork. If this is possible, what’s the easiest way of doing it?
One of your staff visited a client’s site and was asked to wear safety glasses, boots, gloves, hi-vis vest etc., in areas where there was no apparent reason for doing so. Is this something you should do as a precaution?
Your children inherit your old computer, you buy a laptop from a colleague, you want to sell your desktop computer via eBay... How do you clean up your hard drive? And how do you remove files forever and ever?
Besides Google and Yahoo! there are various other “independent” browser start pages. Two new players are Pageflakes and Protopage. Useful or not?
With one month to go before the Easter holidays, there’s still time to book a holiday… but don’t leave it too late.
An auto-responder as your personal e-mail assistant
Do you have a business e-mail address which potential customers can use to request information? An auto-responder puts you in control 24/7.
Conferring online with colleagues
Chatting is generally done via instant messengers such as Live Messenger or ICQ. But there’s Campfire as well: a chat service for professional purposes. Chatting around the campfire sounds attractive, but how good is it?
You’re probably running a firewall, a virus scanner plus a spyware tool. But do they make your computer really safe? The free Active Security Monitor program performs various security tests. How well does it do its job?
Although we use one every day, we often underestimate what a computer mouse is capable of. Here are some practical tips, plus a few handy tools for making your mouse more versatile.
Climate change means that spring is arriving earlier than ever before. Gardeners have to adapt and it therefore makes sense to understand the impact on plants and wildlife. There’s a vast amount of useful data on the Web - let’s read on.
You may know the problem: a product manual that uses cm. instead of inches, a weather site showing temperatures in Centigrade, distances shown in kilometres, continental shoe sizes! Where can you find a good conversion tool?
Creating websites with Visual Web Developer
Microsoft has been working on a free program for designing websites for years. This program has been completely revamped and is called Visual Web Developer. How useful is it?
A new year brings challenges for any business, not least in terms of human resources. Based on new research, what are the key HR priorities for 2007?
In order to cope with staff shortages, you’re thinking about recruiting staff from Eastern Europe. However, you’re concerned about their ability to understand the training they’ll need. How can you deal with this problem?
You’re required you to make reasonable adjustments for an employee suffering from a qualifying disability. But could this go as far as requiring you to create a new position? What does a new case say?
Holding a disciplinary meeting means using interviewing skills. Whether it’s an investigation, a disciplinary hearing or an appeal, you need to get to the truth and protect yourself against a tribunal claim. What type of skills are involved?
Maintaining contact with the long-term sick
You have a sick employee who’s showing no sign of an early return to work. You don’t want to be seen to be harassing him but don’t know what sort of contact to maintain. How should you handle it?
What’s suitable alternative employment?
Whilst an employee was on Additional Maternity Leave, you carried out a business reorganisation meaning her old job is no longer available. What must you offer her as “suitable alternative employment”?
As long as you follow the statutory procedures before dismissing an employee you’ll be protected from a claim, right? It might depend on whether you’ve followed your own procedures too. What’s the latest on this issue?
Should you go nuts about Acorn?
You may have heard some companies extolling the benefits of the “Acorn” approach to environmental management. What is it and should you follow it?
A very small business was recently prosecuted by the Environment Agency for burying asbestos - apparently ignorantly - in the foundations of a building. What can you learn from this particular case?
As the PAYE year end approaches there is a hectic season of form filling in prospect. Employers are being advised by the Taxman to get their houses in order before the pressure mounts. What can you do to help yourself?