2017 -
June
TAX BENEFITS - 27.06.2017
Are company childcare schemes still worth it?
The government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme was launched in April 2017. Ultimately it will completely replace some types of employer childcare scheme. In view of this is it worth continuing with yours or should you close it down now?
TAX - ELECTION - 27.06.2017
How will the election result affect tax?
With the Conservatives only managing to form a minority government, how might it affect your tax position and that of your business?
FINANCE - 27.06.2017
Finance directors can improve your business
You’re trying to build the value of your business with a view to selling it in a couple of years. Your accountant recommends you employ a finance director, but you’re worried about the cost. Is there a cheaper alternative?
CONTRACTS - 27.06.2017
Will you pay their costs if you refuse mediation?
A contractual dispute has arisen between you and another business. It’s proposed mediation and stated that if you reject this offer and the matter goes to court, you will have to pay their costs. Is this true or an attempt to scare you?
PERSONNEL - 27.06.2017
Must employees disclose an intention to compete?
You have an inkling that one of your employees is planning to leave your employment and set up in competition. If you ask them outright, are they legally obliged to truthfully disclose any intention to compete?
FINANCES - 27.06.2017
When can spousal maintenance be varied?
As part of a divorce, one party may be ordered to pay the other spousal maintenance. As time goes on these payments may become unreasonable or unaffordable. In what circumstances can they be varied?
BANKING - 27.06.2017
Is it the right time to start using Bitcoin?
A business associate has told you that his company now accepts Bitcoin as a form of payment for its services. You’ve heard of the currency, but have no idea how it works. Is it something your business should be considering?
CAPITAL GAINS TAX - 27.06.2017
The part disposal rules for capital disposals
Your client asks you for guidance on the tax implications of a part disposal of a capital asset, and you find that the asset in question is an interest in land. What do you need to consider to give appropriate advice on the part disposal rules?
CORPORATION TAX - 27.06.2017
Avoiding an early tax bill for growing companies
As your clients grow, they may find that they fall into the “large” company category. If this happens, there can be a nasty surprise with respect to the tax payment date. What is this and how can you help your clients avoid it?
BASIS PERIODS - 27.06.2017
Dealing with the opening year rules in practice
In most cases your unincorporated clients’ tax basis period will be the same as their accounting period. But this may not be true in their early years - and there can be complications. What should you look out for and how can you make things easier?
BENEFITS IN KIND - 27.06.2017
Can your employer clients give a tax-free perk?
Your employer clients might wish to offer life insurance for their directors or employees by paying premiums for standard policies. However, this gives rise to a tax charge. Is there a more efficient way to provide some form of cover?
EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SECURITIES - 27.06.2017
Protecting against a potential tax charge
A client has implemented a share scheme to give free shares to key employees. They have read about an election that might protect against paying too much tax in the future - what can you advise?
INCOME TAX ALLOWANCES - 27.06.2017
Making the most of tax-free allowances in 2017/18
There are now several allowances that apply to an individual’s income. The way that they interact mean that your clients can potentially receive £22,500 of tax-free income for 2017/18. How can you ensure they take maximum advantage?
RECYCLING - 26.06.2017
Coffee pods - a new recyclable option
In April 2017 we stated that Nespresso had received criticism for the lack of recycling options available for its coffee pods. However, things have moved on. What are the choices?
WASTE - 26.06.2017
Disposing of cooking oil
The recycling of used cooking oil has increased over the years for several reasons, including the financial and environmental benefits. But why should you do this?
WASTE - 26.06.2017
Environmental waste exemptions
You’ve heard that not all waste operations require an environmental permit, for example where waste is to be reused, treated or temporarily stored. If you want to take advantage of this loophole what do you need to do?
MATERIALS - 26.06.2017
Definition of hazardous wood waste
The Environment Agency (EA) has started to reassess how it classifies hazardous wood waste after some low-grade material was found in biomass plants. What’s happening?
MARKETING - 26.06.2017
Science-based targets
A growing number of businesses are setting science-based environmental targets. Why are they choosing to do this and is it something that you should consider too?
FLORA AND FAUNA - 26.06.2017
Liability for Japanese knotweed
A court judgment identifies what can happen if you fail to manage Japanese knotweed on your premises. What do you need to know?
BUSINESS - RECRUITMENT - 26.06.2017
Using social media to find employees
If you’re looking for staff - permanent or freelance - then you should be using social media as well as traditional methods. We’ve looked at the options.
E-MAIL - MAILING LISTS - 26.06.2017
How to collect e-mail addresses
To reach new (potential) customers you can buy lists containing thousands of e-mail addresses at a relatively low cost these days. However, there are more effective ways of collecting addresses.
SOFTWARE - WINDOWS - 26.06.2017
Make better use of the Windows Task Manager
The Windows Task Manager is a tool you probably use when a program is no longer responding. However, the Windows 10 Task Manager can do a lot more than that. How can it help you?
PERSONAL WEBSITE - WEBSITE DESIGN - 26.06.2017
Your website vs the smartphone: 0-1
Today’s customers are, in general, surfing to websites using a mobile device rather than a computer. Have you adapted the layout and content of your website to accommodate this new trend?
E-MAIL - E-MAIL USE - 26.06.2017
Away on holiday?
You will probably start your well-deserved holiday shortly. How do you inform your e-mail correspondents that it will be difficult or even impossible to reach you during this period?
E-MAIL - E-MAIL SOFTWARE - 26.06.2017
Discover Airmail
You’re probable using Outlook or a webmail service as your e-mail client. But there are alternatives. Airmail, the innovative e-mail application for iPhone, iPad and Mac, is constantly getting better. It’s time to review the latest version.
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE STORAGE - 26.06.2017
Centralise all your cloud services
Do you use multiple cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Evernote? How can you organise, manage and synchronise all of them centrally?
EDUCATION - MISCELLANEOUS - 26.06.2017
Train your customers or colleagues online
Would you like to familiarise your customers or collaborators with how to use your products or services through online exercises? Use an educational cloud tool such as Kubbu or Educaplay.
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE NOTES - 26.06.2017
Google Keep keeps all your notes
The Google Keep app lets you make notes in the cloud, so that you can access them from any computer or mobile device. How do you make optimal use of this tool?
SOFTWARE - OFFICE - 26.06.2017
Consistent PowerPoint presentations
Many businesses apply a uniform layout to their Word documents and PDFs, but this consistency and recognisability are often lacking in slide presentations. How can you prevent this in PowerPoint? Let’s take Office 2016 as an example.
APPEALS - 26.06.2017
Going to tribunal - how to challenge HMRC
You’ve reached deadlock in your dispute with HMRC and have decided to take your argument to the First-tier Tribunal. What steps are required and what can you expect from the process?
CORPORATION TAX - 26.06.2017
Tax return trouble for DIY companies
HMRC has dropped its old, free-to-use corporation tax account filing system. The trouble is the new version has limitations which means you might not be able to use it. What’s the full story?
PROFIT EXTRACTION - 26.06.2017
Sell your shares back to your company for less tax
You’re parting ways with your family company and leaving it to the next generation. The plan is for your company to buy your shares and for tax reasons ask HMRC to treat it as a capital transaction. But might there be a better option?
PROPERTY - 26.06.2017
Rental income tax deductions you might be overlooking
Landlords of residential properties are now facing tough restrictions on tax relief for borrowing, so there’s all the more reason to maximise other let property tax reliefs. What hidden deductions might you be missing out on?
CAPITAL GAINS TAX - 26.06.2017
Are you too late to claim capital losses?
You’re selling an asset from which you’ll make a substantial capital gain. You have capital losses to reduce the tax bill, but some date back to the early 90s and haven’t been reported to HMRC on earlier tax returns. Can you still claim them?
CARS - 26.06.2017
When does a company car stop being a perk?
The tax bill for gas-guzzling company cars has remained flat but that for mid-range cars continues to rise. This can be especially harsh for director shareholders with older cars. What steps can you take to improve tax efficiency?
COSHH - 21.06.2017
Ban the beard
Construction contractor Mears has told staff to report to work clean shaven. Why has it brought in this rule and might you have to consider doing the same?
FIRE SAFETY - 21.06.2017
Failure to protect tenants
A landlord and a property management company have been fined following a fire which destroyed large parts of an apartment building in London. What lessons can be learned from this case?
HOUSEKEEPING - 21.06.2017
Dealing with chaos and mess
You have several managers, each with a similar amount of office and storage space. While most seem to manage, one is in constant chaos, blaming it all on their workload and environment. Where should you start?
WORK AT HEIGHT - 21.06.2017
£1 million roof fall
Two owners of a warehouse, along with their contractor, have been held responsible for a roof worker’s death. As this case shows, liability can stick to a client, even when an injured worker doesn’t report to them directly. What happened?
FORK LIFT TRUCKS - 21.06.2017
Don’t modify your fork lift truck
Leaders in the materials handling industry report that many businesses are taking risks by undertaking unauthorised modifications of their equipment. What’s the story?
SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS - 21.06.2017
Co-op’s fatal slip
The Co-op has been heavily fined following an accident in which a customer was killed in a slipping accident. What happened and what are the lessons for other businesses when managing wet floors?
FIRST AID - 21.06.2017
What’s the latest on first aid for events?
Written information for events health and safety has changed over the years with less guidance from the HSE and more from other sources. Where does this leave you when deciding on first aid cover?
STAFF HANDBOOKS - 19.06.2017
Staff handbooks: contractual or non-contractual?
Staff handbooks can cover a wide range of matters and they enable you to set out your rules and procedures to manage the workplace. However, should you make your handbook contractual or non-contractual, or a combination of both?
HOLIDAYS - 19.06.2017
Holiday pay - good news for employers!
It’s now been confirmed that for workers to bring a claim for underpaid holiday based on a series of ongoing deductions, there must be less than three months between the underpayments. Why is this good news?
DISCiPLINARY PROCEEDINGS - 19.06.2017
Dismissing for misconduct following previous warnings
The chair of a disciplinary hearing is proposing to dismiss an employee for misconduct following previous warnings. As the HR expert, what considerations do you need to draw to their attention about the previous warnings to ensure a fair dismissal?
CONTRACTS - 19.06.2017
How much is a day’s pay?
The Supreme Court has held that pay deductions for strike action should be calculated on a calendar basis for some employees on annual contracts. Does this decision affect what you can deduct from employees’ pay for unpaid leave?
BENEFITS PLATFORMS - 19.06.2017
How to make a success of a benefits platform
HR professionals are under pressure to demonstrate and deliver returns on their reward expenditure. Creating an efficient and effective online user experience is key to driving employee engagement with benefit platforms. How can you ensure you do this?
SICKNESS ABSENCE - 19.06.2017
Obtaining a medical report on a sick employee
Where an employee is off sick for a prolonged period, or they have ongoing short-term intermittent sickness absences, there will come a point when you should consider obtaining medical evidence. What do you need to be aware of?
TAX - BENEFITS - 12.06.2017
Tax-free personal use of your company credit card
Changes proposed to the benefits in kind rules might mean you can make personal use of your company’s credit card, tax free, for up to 18 months. How can you take advantage of this?
DIRECTORS’ DUTIES - 12.06.2017
How the courts punished a breach of duty
Directors must not profit personally from their position at the company’s expense or conduct themselves in any way that creates a conflict with the company. If this happens, what can the courts do?
COST CUTTING - CARS - 12.06.2017
Car schemes that keep a lid on costs
Providing company cars isn’t cheap, but paying staff to use their own vehicles has caused you trouble in the past. Could joining one or more car clubs provide a low cost and viable solution?
IT - 12.06.2017
Avoiding ransomware attacks
The National Cyber Security Centre says that thousands of small businesses are vulnerable to ransomware attacks on their IT systems. These can be crippling, so how can you protect your business?
HEALTH & SAFETY - 12.06.2017
Health surveillance and record keeping
In certain circumstances businesses have a legal duty to place members of staff under health surveillance. When does this requirement apply and what records must you maintain?
TAX - COMPANIES - 12.06.2017
Turn new ideas into lower tax bills
The tax relief rules for research and development (R&D) expenditure are tricky and businesses, especially smaller ones, don’t bother to claim it. As a result, many companies are missing out on a valuable tax break. Might yours be one?
E-MAIL - E-MAIL SOFTWARE - 12.06.2017
Postbox 5 on the test bench
The e-mail software “Postbox” (for MacOS and Windows) has recently been revamped to version 5. What has changed?
WEB SERVICES - MAPS & ROUTES - 12.06.2017
Around the world with Google Earth
Google recently launched a brand-new version of Google Earth for Chrome and Android (shortly for iOS too). What does it have to offer?
SOFTWARE - BROWSER - 12.06.2017
Make your browser faster again
In the same way that Windows inevitably slows down over time, Chrome also becomes slower the longer you use it. How can you give Chrome and other browsers back their former speed?
SEARCHING - COMPUTER - 12.06.2017
Advanced searching in Word and Windows Explorer
The Ctrl+F (Find) keyboard shortcut lets you search in both Windows Explorer and Microsoft Word via a simple search box. However, several more powerful search options are available.
SOFTWARE - WINDOWS - 12.06.2017
Handy finger gestures in Windows 10
In Windows 10 you can perform lots of actions by making a few simple finger gestures. Is this possible on touch-sensitive screens only or can you use your laptop’s touchpad?
PERSONAL WEBSITE - WEBSITE PROMOTION - 12.06.2017
SEO tool for personal use
To make your website score higher in the Google search results, you could call on an SEO specialist. However, there are tools you can use which are much less expensive. We put Webtexttool to the test for you.
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 12.06.2017
Planning projects with boards and cards
For efficiently planning and managing your business projects, a good overview is an absolute must. The webtool Volerro applies the so-called “kanban” principle. What is this and how useful is it?
COMPUTER - HOME AUTOMATION - 12.06.2017
Your smarthome… according to Ikea
Ikea recently launched its Trådfri smarthome set which allows you to remotely control various light sources by means of an app. What is such a smarthome set capable of and is it worth the investment?
E-MAIL - MISCELLANEOUS - 12.06.2017
No e-mail campaign without a landing page
Do you regularly send e-mailings to (potential) customers? Perhaps you - like so many others - are not really satisfied with the results. A so-called landing page can change this.
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 12.06.2017
Crowdfunding platforms in 2017
Crowdfunding is becoming more popular as a way for SMEs and start-ups to receive funding. We’ve looked at the options, benefits and risks.
SOFTWARE - MISCELLANEOUS - 12.06.2017
Cheap or free alternatives
Some software such as Photoshop or Windows Office is very expensive. We looked for a number of free alternatives for commonly used programs - for both professional and home use.
VAT - 09.06.2017
Holding companies reclaiming VAT - what’s the latest?
Your business consists of two trading and one holding companies. You’re also negotiating the purchase of a competitor business, which is costing the holding company a lot of money in professional fees. Can it reclaim the VAT on these?
PAYE - 09.06.2017
Change to RTI penalty appeals
In May 2017 HMRC issued penalty notices for late filing of RTI reports for the final quarter of 2016/17. You can appeal, but an extra step is now needed. What’s changed?
INCOME TAX - 09.06.2017
Just an average tax bill
As an expert in your field you wrote several guides a few years ago, which you sell via a website. They don’t make a stack of money, but now a major company has offered to buy the rights for a significant sum. How will it be taxed?
GIFTS - 09.06.2017
More ways to claim gift aid
You’ve been contacted by a charity asking for regular donations but you don’t want to commit to this. However, you’re happy to make a one-off donation; there’s even a way to do this without using your cash savings. How does it work?
EMPLOYMENT TAX - 09.06.2017
Work lotto tickets are taxable - truth or myth?
As a bit of fun and as a goodwill gesture you buy lottery tickets each week for your staff. One of your workers is telling the others that not only is this a taxable perk, but if they win the money they receive will be taxed. Is she right?
REMUNERATION PLANNING - 09.06.2017
New opportunity for salary sacrifice savings
Opportunities to use salary sacrifice to reduce tax and NI are now very limited, but some arrangements are still possible. With changes to auto-enrolment on the horizon how can you take advantage?
PROPERTY - 09.06.2017
Landlords forced into cash-basis accounting
For 2017/18 and later years most private landlords will be expected to work out their profits using cash-basis accounting. This can make preparing your tax returns simpler, but it does have drawbacks. What’s the full story?
holiday pay - 09.06.2017
What’s the latest on holiday pay?
Calculating holiday pay has been a hot topic for some time, ending up in the highest court in the EU. As we enter another holiday season it’s important to know what your legal obligations are. What’s the latest on this tricky subject?
cis - 09.06.2017
Construction sector confusion clarified
HMRC likes to target the construction industry, often describing what it sees as “disguised remuneration” being prevalent. So how can you get to grips with the construction industry scheme (CIS)?
