Experts are warning that Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contractors are becoming a target for attention from the tax authorities. HMRC has started to issue letters to CIS contractors if its records indicate that the correct deductions may not have been applied. The letter prompts the contractor to verify the CIS tax status of their subcontractors to ensure that they have used the correct CIS deductions rate when calculating the deductions to withhold. Contractors are required to check their records within 45 days of receipt of the letter. Following this 45-day period, a compliance check may be started – whereby any…
Author: sme-admin
The UK’s Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switch-off has been delayed until January 2027. Following the switch off, Openreach products such as broadband, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) and Shared Metallic Path Facility will reach the end of their life. PSTN’s switch off date was postponed to allow consumers more time to find a digital alternative, and businesses more time to reassess their communication network and update their IT and communication systems. However, with businesses across still not prepared for the switch-off, Geoff Campos, Customer Solutions Architect at M247 shares advice on how to future-proof connectivity and prepare…
In recent years, there have been growing reports of allergy tragedies as a result of food business negligence. Such tragedies include 23-year-old James Atkinson, a university student with a severe peanut allergy who passed away in 2020 after eating a slice of a pizza ordered through Deliveroo in Newcastle. An inquest into the incident in January uncovered that the restaurant in question had blank allergen sections in its food safety management documents. With these tragedies becoming all too common, many are pondering whether restaurants in the UK will remain compliant with Natasha’s Law in 2024 & beyond. Natasha’s Law was…
Business success requires taking a risk, or two. But have you ever bet the house on a seemingly good idea only for it to become a bad business decision? And why is it that some business leaders seem to be able to take long shots, and still come up trumps? Now a fascinating new book Risk Roulette from leading journalist Graham Ruddick, reveals the surprising reasons why some businesses work, and others fail. As a journalist with the Telegraph, Guardian, The Times and now Business Leader, Graham Ruddick has spent more than fifteen years researching and interviewing leaders, including the founders and chief…
Hushed hybrid is a workplace phenomenon sweeping the nation, involving some of the UK’s biggest companies such as Barclays, Tesco and Dell Technologies. However, HR managers warn hushed hybrid encourages insubordination and could lead to isolation if team members are not treated equally. Here, Kristian Torode, director and co-founder of specialist IT services provider Crystaline, explains how investing in suitable telecommunications systems can help your business avoid the trend’s consequences. Though the pandemic saw a shift towards remote working, companies across the UK have announced return to office (RTO) orders in recent months. Rebelling against these mandates, managers are hushing…
A post-mastectomy lingerie brand in the Midlands, an independent dog store in Leeds, a Super Car and motorsports events company in the Northeast, and a sustainable sportswear brand in Northern Ireland are among 14 businesses announced as Start Up Loans’ 2024 Ambassadors. The annual Start Up Loans Ambassadors programme, now in its ninth year, celebrates inspiring UK business owners who have launched an enterprise using funding from the government-backed scheme. The Ambassadors have been selected as they demonstrate the resilience, creativity, and determination required to make a smaller business successful, and to provide inspiration for entrepreneurs across the UK. This…
There is a misconception that high performance and ultimately, the ability to succeed as an entrepreneur, is somehow an innate ability and successful business leaders are merely born that way. In reality, however, there is no ideal personality archetype that ensures success, but there are certain characteristics that define the way many high achievers approach business. An appetite for risk Launching a new business venture is an inherently risky process, requiring you to essentially put your money where your mouth is. There are countless successful entrepreneurs and business leaders that have had careers marked by multiple failures, and starting a…
Lack of focus when behind the wheel can prove catastrophic, yet drivers continue to be distracted, make mistakes and put themselves and other road users at risk. A new survey from Venson Automotive Solutions found that drivers admit to making a wide range of careless habits daily, including hogging the middle lane, running red lights and speeding. Key findings: 71% go against the Highway Code[i] to use their headlights to signal to other drivers 54% confessed to regular sudden braking 48% admit to speeding 46% hog the middle lane on motorways 44% drive too slowly 37% admit to being distracted…
Debanking is emerging as a genuine worry for many growing businesses – so banks need to step up In the last year, a new word has crept into the UK business and political lexicon: de-banking. Although it has quietly been an increasingly worrisome issue, de-banking only really came to prominence in the UK in 2023 in the wake of a mini-scandal that involved a well known politician. In addition to costing the chief executive of one of the UK’s leading bank their job, it also brought to attention how some banks are withdrawing or refusing banking services Wrong kind of…
By Andy Baillie, VP, UK and Ireland at Master Data Management (MDM) specialists, Semarchy The introduction of GDPR in May 2018 has ensured better protection and use of data. However, six years on, compliance remains a significant hurdle for many companies, exacerbated by the complex, yet exciting, integration of AI. The consequences of non-compliance are severe, as demonstrated by massive fines imposed on tech giants like Google, X (formerly Twitter), and Meta (formerly Facebook) for breaches of data protection laws. However, large tech corporations aren’t the only ones at risk; any business could face penalties for non-compliance with data privacy…