2007 - September
Using the new power of attorney
Changes to the provisions for powers of attorney mean now would be a good time to consider setting one up and at the same time reviewing your will. What’s involved?
Alternative to the office party
You normally have an annual meal/party for your employees. However, a colleague has told you that you could give meal/gift vouchers instead and so avoid the hassle that such parties bring. Is this true?
Your company’s salesman receives a monthly salary plus a commission based on sales. They’ve now asked if you could lend them £15,000 to be repaid from their commission. What’s the Taxman likely to think about all this?
When acquiring a property for your business to use, should you own it or your company? If a period of refurbishment is also planned there is an alternative you should consider to save on Capital Gains Tax. Read on…
The first 2007 amnesty for unpaid tax closed on June 22. Will the results of this increase the risk of an investigation?
Private use of business assets
You buy assets or goods for the business and routinely claim back the input VAT. If, however, you use them privately, the VATman will ask for his money back plus interest and penalties. How can you avoid this problem?
You have just reimbursed your employee for their parking season ticket. When they go shopping at the weekend or out for the evening, they often park in the same place. Is this private use taxable?
You use images taken from the Internet etc. in your marketing and promotional material. But you’ve just received a letter from a picture agency threatening you with legal action (they claim to have sophisticated tracking tools). Should you ignore it?
It’s finally here (almost) - the long awaited Corporate Manslaughter bill comes into effect in April 2008. As a director, what will it mean for you and the company?
A great deal of company time is spent on completing paperwork for the Taxman. In particular, every staff expense and benefit has to be disclosed via Form P11D, which also results in extra tax for them. Is there a solution?
Many small companies depend on family and friends to help out as and when required, plus it can be an effective tax-saving tactic. But as the Taxman is often suspicious of such arrangements, how can you protect your position?
Still our goods - we’ll have them back
You’re about to start using new business terms and conditions. A colleague has suggested they should include a “retention of title” clause. But you’ve also heard they can be more trouble than they’re worth. So what’s the truth?
Like any sensible director, you have critical illness insurance to protect you and your family in case you can’t work for a bit. But as one in five claims are declined, what can you do to ensure you get fair treatment?
One of your clients has recently adopted a no ladder policy on their sites - even for short duration works. Why have they done this and what options are you left with to gain access to, and work at height, on these sites?
UNISON recently commissioned a survey to identify the potential health problems associated with the use and transportation of laptops. What were the findings and what should you be doing to minimise the risks?
Who is our enforcement agency?
Although you were under the impression that your business was under the remit of the HSE, a local authority inspector recently arrived on your site following a reportable accident. Have things changed?
Recent statistics published by the HSC show a rise in the number of fatal accidents. What potential impact, if any, could this have on your business?
The HSE have stated that it isn’t keen on “off-the-shelf” safety policy statements and will take action if the document doesn’t cover all that’s required. So why not use our document and guidance to ensure your policy fits the bill?
A colleague has told you that you can apply for an exemption certificate from using hearing protection when working in a noisy workplace. Is this really the case and if so, is it something you should explore?
A colleague has told you that your fire risk assessment for your office must cover the risks created by dust. Are they serious? If so, what should you be looking for and what control measures do you need to put in place?
Your passwords at hand, always and everywhere
It’s quite a job to remember the myriad of different usernames and passwords you need on the Internet. The online service PassPack wants to make things easier for you.
Looking for videos: there’s more than YouTube
Watching videos on YouTube has become hugely popular. However, there’s more than YouTube if you’re looking for interesting videos. How do you find videos that appeal to you?
The Daily Mail’s management team has decided to go online in a serious way. We see how it stacks up against the “broadsheets”.
Creating your own RSS newsfeed
Suppose you wish to create an RSS feed for a website that doesn’t (yet) offer one. Or you would like to keep others posted via your own RSS feed. Can you do this without any technical knowledge? What are the best services?
Efficient printing… via your network
If you’re running a computer network, you’re likely to share your Internet connection on all these computers. But how about your printer? How can you share one printer efficiently and use if from any computer?
You can extend the possibilities of the popular Thunderbird e-mail software by means of so-called add-ons. Where do you find them and what are the really useful add-ons?
All about viruses and other malware
Hardly a week passes by without there being a “critical update”, new spyware or a new virus. Where can you find out more about new threats, and how do you make sure that your computer is adequately protected?
StarOffice: a good alternative to MS Office?
The Google Pack now also includes StarOffice, an office suite that greatly resembles OpenOffice.org and aims to compete with Microsoft Office. What does StarOffice have to offer?
Online business tools: are they useful?
More and more applications work entirely online, unlike software you should install on your computer. There is a growing number of such tools for (small) businesses as well. Here are some professional online applications.
With many people thinking that 2007 was a year without a summer, it might be a good idea to start planning a trip. You could try and find the sun or just relax and admit that there are other things in life. Whatever you want, the Web can help.
You’re looking to move one of your employees to a newly created role, but aren’t sure what to do about a trial period. Should you require her to complete a probationary period or will a less formal review suffice?
When is a dismissal not a dismissal?
Where a decision is taken to offer reinstatement to an employee after an internal appeal against dismissal, what’s the legal position if they refuse to return to work? Are they still dismissed?
For an employee to win a constructive dismissal claim, they must show that your behaviour breached the implied term of trust and confidence. But how quickly must they act? What does a new Employment Appeal Tribunal case say?
Small businesses still at risk
It’s been nearly a year since age discrimination legislation was introduced, but many businesses are still struggling to deal with it. What’s the latest news?
Implementing a redundancy programme is complex and a fair procedure must always be followed. What’s the extent of your duty to give information to the employee during the consultation procedure?
When policies become contractual rights
If you don’t want a rule to become binding, we’ve always advised you to give it the status of a “policy”. However, a new case shows that this distinction may not be enough to prevent it from gaining contractual status. What’s the latest news?
Providing a company vehicle may be necessary for the employee to carry out their work or it may be a pure perk. Whatever the situation, how can you best ensure control of its use?
£50,000 of capital expenditure tax-free
In Budget 2007 a £50,000 tax-free allowance for expenditure on plant and equipment was announced. Is there anything to be gained by spending money before the new rules come into force?
The House of Lords has finally handed down its decision in the Taxman’s case against a husband and wife company. What’s your position now?
Split the difference with the Taxman
If, as a result of an investigation by the Taxman, you had a range of issues to resolve then up until now you could have negotiated a settlement and closed the file. However, in future you might end up in court. What’s changed?
If you share a company with your partner but don’t need to take a dividend does this mean they can take out your share of the profit instead? Or will this create problems with the Taxman?
You’ve had a bright idea that you hope generates extra profits for your company. To extract those profits there is the usual mix of methods. However, there is another way to get your hands on the money. What is it?
A colleague says they have just used a company formation agent to set up an offshore company in such a way that the Taxman can’t trace ownership back to them. How is this possible?
A colleague has told you that he has ditched his company car and instead puts all his car bills through the business. How does this save tax? Is this something you could take advantage of?
The role of the company secretary
Keeping up-to-date and remembering to complete all the company secretarial duties can be a thankless task if you’re not organised. The penalties can be steep if you get it wrong, so what are the key facts you need to know?
One of our subscribers was told that his company could pay up to £225,000 each a year into his pension scheme and still get tax relief for it. Is this right?
Buy a property with the Taxman’s help?
You’re thinking of investing in property. Buy-to-let seems the obvious choice but someone has suggested that a “furnished holiday let” offers better tax-saving opportunities. What’s the story here?
The company doesn’t want to pay a dividend to an awkward minority shareholder. Instead, the directors want to reinvest the profit in the business (or take the money themselves). Will this be OK?
The benefits of technology - tax risks
If your company supplies you with a computer or mobile phone for private use, did you know that the tax rules changed significantly last year? Are you up to speed with the changes to minimise your personal liability?
Like many company directors, you employ family members from time to time. So as they’re your flesh and blood, presumably you don’t have to worry about paying them the minimum wage?
The effects of the flooding which hit various parts of the UK in the summer are still being felt by many businesses. What lessons can be learnt from their experiences?
The best approach to workstation assessment
You’ve decided to go through a workstation assessment with your staff, instead of just sending them a form. However, you’re at the point of stopping as you’re prompting numerous demands. Where are you going wrong?
Injured whilst moving office furniture
One of your staff recently hurt her back whilst helping a colleague move a desk. How should you deal with the situation, especially as she’s now threatening to seek compensation for her injury?
More than just language issues
You’ve decided to employ some foreign workers - you’ve even got a translator lined up. However, a colleague has warned that you need to be aware there may be more than just language barriers to cross. What can you expect?
Is your laser printer a health hazard?
Recent research in Australia has indicated some laser printers could be a health hazard. How seriously should you take these findings?
Only getting what they’ve paid for
Even though your customers are only in your premises fleetingly, some have felt the need to have an accident whilst they’re there! You know it is difficult to stop completely, but you want to minimise any potential liability. What can you do?
You’ve completed a risk assessment which states that all of your staff should wear protective footwear. However, a client recently refused entry to your staff whilst they had them on. How should you deal with this situation?
Apple’s Safari browser for Windows
Is there room for yet another new browser in Windows? According to Apple, there is, otherwise it wouldn’t have released a version of its popular Safari browser for that platform. How does it perform?
Buying or upgrading your software can be expensive. But buying online can mean big savings even on packages such as operating systems. We compare high street retailer PC World with four online stores.
Making better use of Google Calendar
Google Calendar is an outstanding online tool offering access to your calendar wherever you are (at home, at the office, etc.). Here are a few tips for making the most of this service.
Energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly important issue. However, we don’t always realise that computers consume a lot of electricity as well. How do you keep your computer’s energy consumption under control?
Suppose you have Windows XP on your machine but would like to try out Vista or Linux. Or maybe you want to test out some other new shareware safely. What can you do? Well, you could use a “virtual machine”!
With rising energy bills, you might like to try using alternative sources to power your home. We look at sites that help you to find the right system.
Microsoft’s Office 2007 suite has been around for a couple of months now. This article reviews the new version’s Internet options and online functions.
Setting your webmail service as the default
Suppose you’ve switched entirely to webmail and would like Windows to treat your webmail service as its default e-mail application. What is the advantage, and how do you set about this task?
Buenas tardes, je m’appelle Heinz
Perhaps you’ve fallen in love with a foreign language during a recent trip abroad? The Internet can help you to study foreign languages. We selected useful sites.
News channel CNN can now be watched entirely via the Internet, free of charge. Are there any other interesting developments in the world of online news sources? We check what’s new!
You originally agreed that an employee could work from home one day a week. Unfortunately, for business reasons, this isn’t working and you now need to cancel the agreement. Can you do so?
An employee argued that she had a statutory right to sick pay as a reasonable adjustment under disability discrimination legislation. Did the Court of Appeal agree?
You’re carrying out some organisational changes and wish to alter the job descriptions of several managers. Must you consult with them first, and what if they unreasonably reject the proposed changes?
One of your employees has taken leave, as his parent is ill. Trouble is, he doesn’t know when he’ll be back at work. Must you continue paying him and should you introduce a policy for dealing with future cases?
In an attempt to deal with unacceptable levels of sickness absence, you’re now referring employees to an Occupational Health Advisor. However, one employee has refused to co-operate. How should you deal with this?
Since smoke-free legislation was introduced on July 1 2007, there’s been confusion over whether smoking is still allowed in pool cars and company vehicles. So what is the situation?
The burden of proof in discrimination cases is such that if you can’t prove you didn’t unlawfully discriminate against a claimant, the tribunal will infer that you did. How can you avoid such an inference?
Responding to a Schedule 10 notice
During the process of applying for a discharge consent from the Environment Agency, you received a formal notice from the inspector dealing with your case. What is it and how should you deal with it?
A colleague has informed you that you need to manage your “significant” environmental aspects and impacts - apparently you could face legal action if you don’t. If this is the case, what do you need to do about it?
Gas fired patio heaters - are they being banned?
One of our subscribers contacted us when they heard that the government is planning to ban the use of gas fired patio heaters on commercial premises from the New Year. Is this really the case; if so what alternative options are there?
One of your customers has asked for details of your carbon footprint. What is it, why are you being asked for it and how should you go about calculating it for your business?