2007 - May
If your spouse is a company employee, the company can make pension contributions on their behalf. However, if the Taxman asks you to justify this salary plus pension combination, where do you stand?
You are away on business. You’ve ordered your evening meal and have just been handed the wine list. What will the Taxman let you have, if anything?
A salary sacrifice scheme is a good way to save tax. However, the Taxman is suspicious of anyone giving up a contractual right to a higher salary. So how do you get clearance from the Taxman for your own arrangement?
Responsibilities for own-car users
Some of your employees use their own vehicles to drive for work purposes. As a director, what should you have in place to reduce any potential liability arising from accidents due to badly maintained cars?
Your company is owed money by a customer who seems “reluctant” to pay. You’re the director responsible for sorting things out - so can you simply walk away from the contract?
The Taxman equates having an offshore bank account with tax evasion. So should you take him up on his recent offshore amnesty offer?
There’s so much red tape involved in running a company, including the requirement to hold an annual general meeting. Is it true that you no longer have to hold them every year?
The annual returns of expenses and benefits (P11Ds etc.) for 2006/7 are due on July 6, 2006. However, having got your company to pay for a few more extras this year, what if they were left off your P11D?
How much can you pay your spouse?
Unhelpfully, the Taxman won’t let your company deduct an excessive wage paid to your partner. So how should you calculate the correct wage to keep on the best side of both your spouse and the Taxman?
Can’t afford to pay the tax bill?
With the 0% rate abolished, your company will be paying Corporation Tax at 19% on its profits. If there isn’t enough money in the company’s bank account when the time comes to pay, what are your options?
A bit of greenery does you good
A colleague has suggested you could cut the sickness absence rate and improve the air quality in your office, simply by introducing lots of specialist plants. If this is really the case, what are your options?
A member of staff has been piling on the pounds to the extent that you’re worried that their weight is becoming a potential health and safety issue. Are your concerns justified, and how should you deal with the situation?
Formal work equipment assessment
To comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) you have a duty to assess some work equipment to ensure it’s fit for purpose and safe. So why not use our checklist to complete your assessment?
According to a recent survey, poor posture and sitting for prolonged periods can cause serious back problems. How should you minimise the risks?
Does a portable generator need a PAT test?
One of our subscribers contacted us when a colleague informed them that they should be PAT testing their portable generators. Our subscriber didn’t think this was necessary, but to check they asked us. Are PAT or other tests required?
Your hardened smokers have been harassing you to put up a smoking shelter. Given the workplace smoking ban which takes effect in July, what’s the legal position?
A number of businesses have found out how expensive it is to ignore Improvement Notices issued by the HSE. How can you avoid a similar experience and stay out of trouble?
Flixter, a community for film fans
“Community” is the buzz-word of the month: there’s YouTube for videos, MySpace for music, Flickr for photographs, ... And now there’s Flixter for film reviews. How good is it?
Collaborating on spreadsheets… online
Excel spreadsheets are very useful tools. However, suppose you have to work together with several people on one spreadsheet. How do you organise this? The following services offer a solution.
You probably use your browser to download files from the Web, such as images or music tracks. What can you do if you want to download a high number of photographs or songs at once? These tools can help you.
Better protection with McAfee SiteAdvisor
McAfee last year released the free SiteAdvisor plug-in for Internet Explorer and Firefox. In the meantime, this tool has been downloaded 38 million times. Is it worth installing?
The good news is that printers have become really cheap these days, the bad news is that cartridges remain very expensive. Here are some programs that promise more efficient printing. Are they any good?
As the use of wireless technology becomes more prevalent, major security issues surface once again. We look for solutions.
Your webmailbox will undoubtedly contain lots of messages you don’t wish to lose. The obvious solution is to make regular backups. But how do you make a backup of webmail on your local hard disk?
What’s happening in the world?
There’s no shortage of news sites. However, their stories are often provided by the same press agencies and are therefore quite similar. Where do you turn if you want to have a local take on a country or a region?
Traditional radio stations generally feature established artists. But now we’ve lost John Peel, a lot of good music never makes it to the radio. Which online services help you to discover new music that meets your particular tastes?
Your most profitable customers are your existing ones, so how can you keep them loyal to your company? We look at the sites that aim to help you to do this using Customer Relationship Management.
Dealing with an employee tip-off
You’ve had a tip-off that an employee has a criminal record for theft which they failed to disclose during the recruitment process. As they handle money, you’re concerned, but don’t know how to manage the situation. What should you do?
Making staff aware of disciplinary procedures
Whilst you’re legally required to have disciplinary and grievance procedures, what’s the best way of bringing them to employees’ attention and what are the most important points to get across?
The trend for tribunals to be quick in finding that agency workers are employees of the host employer has now been reversed. What’s the latest?
With one exception, there’s no legal requirement to use trial periods, yet they remain very popular in the workplace. So when might they come in useful and how can you take full advantage?
You gave one of your employees permission to work from home on a part-time basis, but her work has begun to steadily deteriorate. How should you deal with this problem and prevent it from recurring with someone else?
For business reasons, you need to change shifts to include Sundays. However, during discussions an employee has said that he can’t work Sundays, as he’s a practising Christian. Could this be the case and if so, how should you proceed?
Can costs associated with a rally car used to market your business be wholly and exclusively incurred for business purposes? A recent case suggests they might be. Read on to find out how.
Why the debt scheme still works
If you own a valuable investment property, can you shelter this from Inheritance Tax (IHT) but still keep the rents? We take a look at an old planning strategy that still has life in it. Could this work for you?
If you (or a member of your family) don’t already fill in a tax return and you think you’ve paid more tax than you should have, what can you do to get your money back?
New way to cash in on your shares
Do you have any quoted shares standing at a profit? If so, there’s a way you can make use of your tax-free Capital Gains Tax allowance for 2007/8 and get a cash handout from the Taxman. Too good to be true?
Following a recent announcement, the Taxman can no longer deny you a tax deduction for an iPod. What’s happened, and how can you take advantage of this?
The 2006/7 tax year ended on April 5, 2007, which means that technically you can now file a personal tax return for 2006/7. Is there any advantage in submitting a return before the final deadline?
Claiming for the cost of your broadband
If your company reimburses you the cost of your broadband connection (at home) you could end up with a tax bill. However, there is another way to structure this to avoid the problem. What’s involved?
The “just in case I win” tax bill
The Taxman has been issuing tax assessments to husband and wife companies. Why has he done this? And what should you do if you’ve received (or do receive) something similar?
To keep the shares in the family, shareholder directors often enter into an agreement so that, in the event of death, their shares will be sold to the surviving shareholders. Is this something you should consider?
There has been a number of reports of a tax “amnesty” regarding offshore accounts. What exactly does it cover? And if you do have an offshore account should you be taking the Taxman up on his offer?
How much did you give to charity?
There are a couple of boxes on your tax return that allow you to make a claim for any Gift Aid payments you’ve made. Can you enter any old figure here just to save a few quid in tax?
Most companies want to be able to borrow money when they need it, without the directors having to guarantee the loans personally. But wanting credit and actually getting it can be two different things. Why?
If your year-end is approaching, you need to optimise business expenditure to reduce taxable profit. What will the Taxman let you get away with?
It’s seldom that all your directors are together in the same office at the same time so board meetings can be a problem. Is it possible to hold a meeting over the phone? And what about by e-mail?
Making the most of Capital Allowances
In order to balance his books, the Chancellor announced changes to the Capital Allowances available to small businesses. What can you do with Corporation Tax to help soften the blow?
Like many company directors you carry out work from home - you might even have a fully kitted-out office there. Will your existing home insurance policy be sufficient if you need to make a claim?
Your company is a tenant of business premises. You’ve never caused problems and always paid on time. Out of the blue the landlord called to say he’s put the property on the market and wants you out. Can he do this?
You want to appoint a new director - they’re injecting cash into the business and you want them on board asap. Can it go through on the nod and if not, what possible hurdles should you be prepared for?
A refuse collector has just been awarded a payout after he was supplied with ill-fitting safety boots that caused him medical problems. On what grounds was his employer found liable and how should you avoid similar problems?
An employee who tripped and fell over computer cabling and seriously hurt himself, received a substantial compensation payout. What happened and what lessons can you learn from it?
The company that maintains your fire extinguishers has recommended that you get some new ones, as yours are old and a bit battered. What’s the best way of doing so and are there any potential problems to watch out for?
One of our subscribers raised the issue of risk assessments for the safe use of hand tools. They asked whether the risks involved are really sufficient to warrant a specific risk assessment. What do we think?
Workplace transport accidents are the cause of 30% of all workplace deaths - so to ensure one doesn’t happen on your site, you’ve put precautions in place. Yet delivery drivers keep speeding. What should you do about it?
According to IOSH, some safety practitioners are guilty of giving poor, even dangerous advice. How can you ensure you’re not on the receiving end?
The wrong sort of work experience
A recent case has highlighted some of the potential problems associated with school children being placed in a business to gain workplace experience. What happened and what can you learn from this case?
The number of documents, music files, videos and photos on our hard disks increases exponentially. Inevitably, there will also be many duplicates. We compared four free tools that inspect your hard disk for duplicate files.
As you probably know, the Google Maps website lets you look up addresses and obtain maps from all over the world. However, you can now also create your personal street maps.
Podcasts are gaining in popularity. In order to download and play podcasts, there are various programs (“podcatchers”) at your disposal. We compared the most popular free tools.
You might have a large collection of music files sitting on your computer. How can you play them on other computers or even via the Internet?
Laptops are expensive, and they often contain highly personal and confidential information: business memos, price quotes, address books, digital photos or videos, etc. How do you protect your laptop?
Everybody likes something for nothing, and we’re no exception. Our team checks out the best sites for free stuff on the Web.
Finding a changed e-mail address, sending reminders to yourself, e-mailing anonymously, collecting e-mail addresses via your site? For each of these tasks, dedicated services are available online.
You’ve probably started planning your summer holidays and it’s important to be well-informed. Travel sites are often too commercial, but fortunately there are many sites presenting reviews provided by other travellers.
Windows XP with a Vista flavour
You would like to upgrade to the new Windows Vista, but your computer is too old or too slow… Well, instead of upgrading your hardware, you can also increase the options and the security of your Windows XP to the Vista level. How?
And the winners for the best ISPs are...
The ISP “Oscars” - The UK Internet Industry Awards - took place recently. We look at the winners and the competition for consumers and business.
You want to revamp your company sickness policy in order to make it more effective. What are the best quick fixes that you can use in order to see a downturn in sickness absence levels?
Do the statutory dismissal procedures apply?
Each year, you take on seasonal workers. You haven’t bothered to follow the statutory procedures when dismissing them but a colleague has said that you’re leaving yourself wide open. Is this right?
Dealing with conditional resignations
One of your managers is threatening to resign in four months’ time unless you agree to his demands. At what point does his resignation take effect and how should you deal with his complaints?
Permanent Health Insurance is a valuable benefit which can help reduce your costs when employees are on long-term sick leave. But it’s not all plain sailing. So what are the main pitfalls to be wary of?
As you know, any investigation carried out prior to a dismissal must be “reasonable in the circumstances”. But in practice what exactly does this mean, particularly if evidence of guilt is strong? What does a recent EAT case say?
Giving unfavourable references
Many media reports on personnel issues give the impression that you can no longer give unfavourable references. Following a recent case is this true? If not, what must you be aware of before putting pen to paper?
Don’t discriminate over adoption
New rules governing employees’ rights to take adoption leave took effect recently. What’s changed, and what should you be aware of?
You need a licence to carry that
The Environment Agency recently prosecuted an individual for failing to comply with waste laws. What offences had he committed and how can you ensure you don’t suffer a similar fate?
You may have heard colleagues talking about their ambition to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation. What is it, what does getting it involve, and is it something you should consider for your business?
Conflicting theories - does it matter?
According to some scientists, we’re not the cause of climate change. Should you believe this and will these views have any impact on your business?
A spillage on your site which nearly reached your drains, has prompted you to look at ways of minimising the risks of causing pollution. Is it really worth bothering with and if so, what’s the best way of doing it?
There are a number of oily rags and some waste oil on your site that need disposing of. When you contacted your normal waste contractor, you were quoted an outrageous price to do so. Is there a cheaper alternative?