2012 -
June
RETURNS - 28.06.2012
P11D trouble with travel expenses
Where a director or employee travels on business, the company can pick up the bill by reimbursing the worker or meeting the cost directly. But does the method used make a difference to how it should be reported to the Taxman?
CAPITAL GAINS TAX - 28.06.2012
Is your holiday home CGT-free?
You’re thinking of buying a holiday home; it’s not a big property, but you expect a fair gain in value over the years. The Taxman says you might have to pay tax on the profit when you sell. What steps can you take to reduce this tax bill?
CAPITAL ALLOWANCES - 28.06.2012
How to claim capital allowances while not trading
Until your company starts to trade it can’t claim tax relief on the cost of equipment it uses for its business. But where do you stand if you stop trading and restart a while later? Can the Taxman restrict the allowances you can claim?
EMPLOYMENT STATUS - 28.06.2012
Can tax return figures determine a worker’s status?
The Employment Appeal Tribunal recently heard a case involving a well known business, an exotic dancer and the Taxman. The judge ruled she was an employee, but this might be overturned if she lied on her tax returns. Why?
REMUNERATION PLANNING - 28.06.2012
Timing a director’s bonus tax efficiently
Your company has made a decent profit this year and the directors want to pay themselves a bonus. To get an early tax deduction, these must be paid within a specified time, but this will trigger large PAYE bills. How can you defer these?
INSURANCE - 28.06.2012
Tax on insurance compensation payments
A recent statement by HMRC confirms the tax-free status of compensation payouts made in respect of the latest insurance miss-selling scandal. But banking the cheque and not telling the Taxman could land you in hot water. Why?
PAYE - 28.06.2012
PAYE to be enforced on freelancers
New tax rules will force businesses to operate PAYE on fees paid to workers who provide their services through a company. But when and how will these apply?
TRANSPORT - MISCELLANEOUS - 27.06.2012
Flying away
Whether you’re flying for business or pleasure, you’ll want the best deal possible. We look at some of the most useful sites around to help you on your way.
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 27.06.2012
Show it to your customers via Clipster
More and more businesspeople and retailers use videos to present their activities, products or services, and they distribute them via social networks. The new Clipster can help.
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE PHOTOS - 27.06.2012
Be creative with your photos
Picnik, the excellent online photo-editing service, has unfortunately been suspended by Google. Are there any alternative services and tools which let you edit photos at a low cost?
TRAINING - LANGUAGES - 27.06.2012
Language tools for on the road
Are you leaving on holiday shortly or do you make regular business trips abroad? Here are some smartphone apps which help you to communicate in a foreign language.
TRANSPORT - MAPS & ROUTES - 27.06.2012
Tips and tricks for Google Maps
You’re probably using Google Maps as a handy route planner already. However, this web service is equipped with several extra features for specific situations. Here are some useful tips and tricks.
SOFTWARE - VIDEO - 27.06.2012
Watching Blu-rays on your computer
More and more laptops and desktops are equipped with a Blu-ray player. This is convenient for playing disks containing films in high definition (HD). Which software is best for playing Blu-ray films on your computer?
SOFTWARE - COMPUTER MANAGEMENT - 27.06.2012
Running out of space on your hard drive?
Hard drives fill up quickly, even those that can hold a couple of terabytes. How do you find out where all this space has gone and how can you locate superfluous files?
E-MAIL - E-MAIL USE - 27.06.2012
Away on holiday? Set your answering machine!
If you’re taking a few weeks off, you probably don’t intend to check your business e-mail during this period. If you set an automatic reply, your contacts will know that you are unavailable.
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 27.06.2012
How to create an “infographic”
Explaining an idea, showing your sales figures, presenting your new service etc. - an “infographic” is the ideal tool for combining text and images. How does the new Venngage help?
LEISURE - TRAVEL - 27.06.2012
On holiday? Here are some handy apps
Are your family or fellow travellers a little sceptical about whether you should take your smartphone on holiday? Show them how these handy apps will make your trip more pleasant.
SEARCHING - INTERNET - 27.06.2012
Smarter and more social searching
The competition war is again waging between the search engines. Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft recently introduced new search options. How useful are they?
INSURANCE - 27.06.2012
Is your personal PC insured for business use?
As a company director you may want, or have, to work from home from time to time and this may involve using your own PC and other equipment. Will this mean you lose cover for these on your home insurance in the event of a claim?
DATA PROTECTION - 27.06.2012
Must we deal with this “subject access request”?
An ex-director has written to the company demanding that it “discloses all personal data held on him”. The board wants to know if this subject access request (SAR) can be legitimately refused. What’s the latest ruling on this point?
PAYE - 27.06.2012
Tax and NI effects of unpaid holiday
The directors have agreed to offer staff optional extra time off without pay. Some workers are interested, but are worried this might adversely affect their tax and NI position. Are they right to be concerned?
DIRECTORS’ PAY - 27.06.2012
Gross misconduct discovered post-termination
A director has just been made redundant. You were about to pay him in lieu of notice but some previous wrongdoing has now come to light. As you regard it as gross misconduct can you withhold this payment?
COMPANY LAW - 27.06.2012
Who has the right to see your company’s records?
One or two shareholders are kicking up a fuss about wanting to view the company’s records, including board minutes. It’s a nuisance, but you don’t want to cause a ruckus by refusing. What information must you make available?
DIRECTORS’ TAX - 27.06.2012
HMRC agrees tax break for investors
For the first time, the Taxman is offering advance clearance for companies looking to raise finance by issuing new shares. What’s the full story?
CONTRACTS - 18.06.2012
Is a promise about bonuses binding?
In a recent case, 100 employees claimed that an announcement made during a staff meeting about bonuses was contractually binding. The High Court agreed with this position. So should you now watch what you say?
GRIEVANCES - 18.06.2012
A grievance - but that’s not what it was about!
When a black employee complained about his line manager’s behaviour towards him, a colleague suggested that he appeared to be saying it might be “racially motivated”. What did the Employment Appeal Tribunal make of that comment?
TRIBUNAL AWARDS - 18.06.2012
Tribunal awards to be slashed?
It’s been widely reported that the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill will “slash tribunal awards” when it becomes law. Is this correct?
APPRAISALS - 18.06.2012
Employees: prepare for your appraisals!
No matter how much effort you put into creating a robust appraisal system, you won’t reap the benefits if your staff have the wrong attitude to the process. So what expectations should you set from the start?
RIGHT TO SEARCH - 18.06.2012
Workplace thefts - don’t be the butt of their joke
Most workplace thefts involve low-value, practical items - for some reason toilet rolls are a particular favourite! Over time though, the financial losses can easily rack up. So what can you do to prevent this type of activity?
DISCIPLINARY MATTERS - 18.06.2012
Disciplinary proceedings: rights of the accused
When an employee is accused of serious misconduct, you should investigate the matter promptly and thoroughly but must also “treat them properly”. What does this mean in practice?
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT - 18.06.2012
Workplace sweepstakes: a bit of fun or plain illegal?
With a number of major sporting events on the horizon, an employee has asked if they can organise a sweepstake or two. Sounds OK but could their fun and games land you on the wrong side of the law?
FIRE SAFETY - 18.06.2012
Will the Fire & Rescue Service still take risks?
Following a recent court case, you’ve heard that senior Fire & Rescue Service commanders may not send their staff into potentially dangerous situations. Is this really the case and, if so, how might their decision affect you?
SAFE USE OF MACHINERY - 18.06.2012
Is your site saw properly guarded?
Portable table saws are an essential piece of equipment on construction sites. But as a recent case underlines, they’re also a common accident source. What risk control measures should be applied?
ASBESTOS - 18.06.2012
Parent company liability
Can a parent company ever be liable for damages to an employee injured whilst working for their subsidiary company? A recent case at the Court of Appeal shows that they can. What’s to know?
H&S MANAGEMENT - 18.06.2012
An Olympic-sized problem
Requests for holiday during the upcoming Olympics are still coming thick and fast. Is this likely to create any health and safety headaches that you should be preparing for now?
H&S MANAGEMENT - 18.06.2012
Healthy workplaces
The HSE and a number of national safety organisations have recently launched campaigns focused on employee health and wellbeing. Why have they done this and should you take notice of them?
CONSTRUCTION - 18.06.2012
New standard for excavations
New guidance has been published to help reduce the number of utility strikes, i.e. hitting an underground cable or pipe. Where has it come from, what is its legal status and is this something that you need to look at?
LEGIONELLA - 18.06.2012
Legionnaires’ disease outbreak
A man has died and many more are seriously ill due to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Scotland. How concerned should you be that your water system could cause a similar tragedy?
EXPENSES - 15.06.2012
Company costs paid personally - are they a problem?
Last year, one of our subscribers transferred his sole trader business to a company, but some income and expenses went through in the wrong bank account. Could this trigger an enquiry if the Taxman looks at the records?
CAPITAL GAINS TAX - 15.06.2012
CGT myths about using your home for work
You want to work from home, however a colleague has warned this will affect the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exemption on your house. He says that you can avoid this by not claiming a tax deduction for household costs. Is this right?
PROPERTY - 15.06.2012
Does owning a buy-to-let through a company save tax?
Before you invest your savings in a buy-to-let property you’ll want to know what the tax situation will be. One suggestion is that you should own the property through a company. But will this really save you tax in the long run?
VAT - 15.06.2012
VAT refunds on postal charges
Since January 2011 businesses can reclaim VAT paid on certain Royal Mail services. But this right may be extended to earlier years. What’s the full story?
EMPLOYER RETURNS - 15.06.2012
P11Ds - avoiding rejection and penalties
Employers must submit their P11Ds for 2011/12 by July 6 or face penalties. But these forms are notoriously tricky to complete and often rejected by the Taxman. What steps can you take to make sure they’re correct and arrive on time?
BENEFITS - 15.06.2012
Trouble with childcare vouchers
The 2011/12 P11D indicates you should decare any taxable childcare vouchers provided to your employees. However, these are usually taxed through the PAYE system. So what’s the Taxman really after?
NEWS - PERSONAL NEWS PAGE - 11.06.2012
Google Currents as a news magazine on your tablet?
Google Currents, the Android/iOS news magazine which aims to compete with the popular Flipboard and other news services, recently became available outside the US. Let’s compare it with some alternatives.
WEB SERVICES - MISCELLANEOUS - 11.06.2012
How to create an online publication?
We recently reviewed iBooks Author, a tool for creating textbooks for the iPad. We will now test some tools which let you compose your own digital publications online.
MISCELLANEOUS - HARDWARE - 11.06.2012
All your remote controls united
Do you have many too remote controls - ones for your TV, DVD player, network streamer, amplifier etc.? A universal remote control lets you collect them in one single device.
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE OFFICE - 11.06.2012
Integrating online data into Google Docs
Google Docs, the handy online office suite, also has a good spreadsheet module which makes an excellent alternative to Excel for many users. What’s more, you can also import online data.
SOFTWARE - COMPUTER MANAGEMENT - 11.06.2012
Defragment your hard drive
If you’ve been running Windows for a long time, your computer will tend to become sluggish. One of the reasons for this is “fragmentation”. What exactly is it and what can you do about it?
SOFTWARE - COMPUTER MANAGEMENT - 11.06.2012
Operating multiple computers efficiently
Do you sometimes use multiple computers simultaneously, e.g. a laptop and a desktop, two laptops or a Mac and a PC? If you use the proper software or hardware, you can operate all the machines with one keyboard or mouse. How?
SECURITY - PRIVACY - 11.06.2012
Keep your social network settings under control
Like most people, you will probably be active on several social networks. But are you aware of all the different privacy-sensitive settings for all these networks? Blisscontrol helps you keep an overview.
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 11.06.2012
Some useful cloud tools for your business
There are so many things to keep you occupied in your business. Here are some simple cloud tools which may help you with your tasks or in organising your job, so that you can concentrate on your real core business.
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 11.06.2012
Make your own online flyers
Flyers are ideal for promotional purposes. You can of course distribute printed flyers, but did you know that you can also create and distribute flyers online? Which webtools can help you?
NEWS - MISCELLANEOUS - 11.06.2012
London Olympics
The 2012 Olympics is the biggest event to hit the capital, and the country, for decades. The Internet has tips and advice for businesses and individuals.
SOFTWARE - DRIVERS - 11.06.2012
Looking for a driver?
To make hardware components or devices run properly, Windows needs the appropriate drivers. With a bit of luck Windows will automatically find the right one. But what if it fails?
CONTRACTS - 07.06.2012
Offered a new contract: SWOT up on it!
The directors are considering taking on a large contract from a new client. It seems like good work but, in the long-run, might be more trouble than it’s worth. Is there any way to assess the pros and cons quickly and logically?
DIRECTORS’ TAX - 07.06.2012
Share capital or a loan - which is more tax efficient?
If you’re starting a new company or putting more cash into an existing one, you have broadly two ways to invest - shares or a loan. There are tax pros and cons to each, but if you’re worried about losing your capital which should you go for?
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - 07.06.2012
Increase with the “GrowthAccelerator”?
To help directors of smaller companies grow their businesses quickly, the government has launched a new “GrowthAccelerator” service. We’ve just scrutinised the small print for you, so what did we find?
DIRECTORS’ STATUS - 07.06.2012
A director with(out) stated qualifications
The CEO of Yahoo! recently resigned after a shareholder discovered that his stated qualifications didn’t exist. So what should the board do when hiring a new director and can anything be done if a problem like this comes to light afterwards?
PROPERTY - 07.06.2012
Empty properties get a rate review
Having discovered that it will be shelling out £50 million in tax on its own vacant properties this year, the government has decided to look at overhauling business rates rules. What’s happening?
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION - 07.06.2012
Reduce your tax by changing your income pattern
The cut in the top rate of tax next April will affect only those with annual incomes of £150,000 plus. But there are hidden trigger points for higher tax rates much lower down the scale. What are these and how can you dodge them?
EVENT SAFETY - 07.06.2012
Are you using a marquee?
When you need a venue for an event, finding a space for a marquee may seem like a simple solution. But is it that straightforward? What safety considerations should you take into account?
LEGISLATION - 07.06.2012
Which legislation is next for the scrap heap?
The HSE has opened a consultation on the scrapping of 14 pieces of legislation which it considers to be redundant or out-of-date. When will these be cut and will the impact be particularly significant?
POLICIES & RECORDS - MANUAL HANDLING POLICY - 07.06.2012
Set out your policy on manual handling
If your staff carry out significant manual handling tasks, be it lifting and carrying, pushing or pulling then it’s good practice to have a specific policy on the subject. What does ours cover and what’s the benefit of using it?
FRAGILE ROOFS - 07.06.2012
Have you thought about your fragile roof lights?
Although most falls from height are usually in high risk industries such as construction, a recent case has proved that they can happen almost anywhere. What happened and what can be learned from this case?
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT - 07.06.2012
Must your fire risk assessment be reviewed annually?
Last year you had a fire risk assessment undertaken by a professional assessor. It included an annual review date which has now passed. Are you duty bound to bring the original assessor back to review it?
HOUSEKEEPING - 07.06.2012
How easy is it to clean slip-resistant flooring?
You’re considering installing slip-resistant flooring for improved safety but you’re concerned that it might not be easy to keep it hygienically clean. What’s the reality of the situation?
ASBESTOS - 07.06.2012
Do you know your asbestos duties?
According to recent industry-led research, some businesses are still unaware of their legal duties with regard to managing asbestos. Is this really the case?
MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS - 07.06.2012
When do staff costs belong in cost of sales?
The profit and loss account that you file at Companies House shows staff costs as an overhead within administrative expenses. But, for management accounts purposes, should staff costs be included in cost of sales instead?
CREDIT CONTROL - 07.06.2012
Balancing sales and collection
For many businesses, responsibility for debt collection falls to the customer-facing staff rather than the finance department. If this is the case in your business, what can you do to help them?
CARS - 07.06.2012
Pay as you go motoring?
If you operate a car pool or pay staff to use their own vehicles, you’ll know how expensive this can be. You’ve heard that joining a car club can offer all the benefits of a fleet but without the expense. What’s the deal?
STAFF COSTS - 07.06.2012
Summertime ‘flu savings
We’re only just approaching the summer season but could now be the time to vaccinate your staff against ‘flu to save you money in the long-term? Is it a case of jab now, save later?
OFFICE COSTS - 07.06.2012
Lick the cost of postage
First it was fuel and then it was stamps. People seem to love panic-buying. The cost of postage stamps has risen significantly, but are there still savings to be made? What are the options?
UTILITIES - 07.06.2012
Low voltage, low bills
Although many energy-saving devices are designed for large commercial enterprises and cost the earth to install, we’ve found some voltage optimisation units that are suitable for small offices and homes. What can they save you?
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS - 07.06.2012
Solvency early warning signs
Trading continues to be difficult as the economy struggles to break out of recession. Your managing director has asked you to monitor the company’s solvency. What should you be looking at in your business?
PURCHASING - 07.06.2012
Can holding more stock make sense?
Your company has been minimising the amount of cash tied up in working capital by ordering stock on a usage basis. However, one subscriber made significant savings by ordering set quantities of stock. Could this work for you?
PAYROLL - 07.06.2012
P11Ds for 2011/12
Next month is the deadline for filing your company’s returns of employee benefits and expenses (Forms P11D). What do you need to watch out for this year?
SPREADSHEETS - 07.06.2012
Modelling scenarios for the board
You’ve been asked by the board to demonstrate the impact of various forecast inflation rates on costs and hence profit. How can you easily calculate and present the range of effects of these various possible levels of inflation?
GROSS MISCONDUCT - 01.06.2012
Gross misconduct or a wrongful dismissal?
If an employee is summarily dismissed for gross misconduct, they are not entitled to receive the notice period stated in their contract. Could this allow them to claim wrongful dismissal, i.e. breach of contract, by default?
MATERNITY - 01.06.2012
Postnatal depression: is it “pregnancy-related”?
On the day she’s due back from maternity leave, you discover an employee has been signed off with postnatal depression. Is this a protected pregnancy-related illness, or can it be treated like any other type of sickness absence?
