Chancellor Philip Hammond has delayed the decision to abolish class 2 national insurance contributions (NICs) by 12 months. The policy, which was first announced by Hammond’s predecessor George Osborne in 2016, would have seen class 2 NICs incorporated in reformed class 4 NICs from April 2018. Self-employed workers earning less than £6,025 in 2017/18 can … Continued
Company car advisory fuel rates from 1 December 2017
HMRC has published revised advisory fuel rates for company cars, applying from 1 September 2017. The rates are to be used only where employers either reimburse employees for business travel in their company cars, or require employees to repay the cost of fuel used for private travel. These rates apply from 1 December 2017. You … Continued
Number of Businesses Soars to 5.7m
The number of private sector businesses in the UK hit a record high of 5.7 million at the start of 2017, according to government figures. Annual statistics from the Department for Business, Industry, Energy and Strategy showed a year-on-year rise of 197,000, compared to the same time in 2016. The number of firms in 2017 … Continued
New GDPR Advice Service Aimed At Small Organisations
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) launched on Wednesday 1 November at 10am to help small organisations prepare for a new data protection law.The phone service is aimed at people running small businesses or charities and recognises the particular problems they face getting ready for the new law, called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR replaces … Continued
Trustees’ Week: 13-17 November 2017 – How You Can Offer Your Skills
We all have issues that we feel strongly about – it might be homelessness, or cancer, or heart disease – maybe it’s animal cruelty or a local hospice. Often we feel we want to offer a contribution and make a difference but we don’t know how. Charities are frequently on the lookout for help – … Continued
UK Interest Rates Rise for the First Time in 10 years – Despite Warnings
Liverpool accountancy firm boss Peter Taaffe says the Bank of England’s quarter point rise to 0.5% will impact on both small businesses and homeowners. Tony McDonough reports Bank of England policymakers have raised the UK interest rate for the first time in a decade – pushing up the rate from 0.25% to 0.5%. The bank’s … Continued
Personal Credit Card Payments to HMRC Will Stop in January
HMRC have advised that from 13 January 2018, they will no longer be accepting payments from personal credit cards. HMRC have accepted credit card payments from individuals, but from 13 January 2018, this method of payment will no longer be available. HMRC’s hand has been forced due to a change in EU law, which prohibits … Continued
Apprenticeship Levy Leaves Firms Baffled
Almost a quarter (23%) of businesses paying the apprenticeship levy has no understanding of how it works – six months after its introduction. 56% of more than 1,400 firms surveyed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) did not expect to recover their payment, despite receiving an annual allowance to offset against the bill. As … Continued
BWM Shortlisted for the FSB Merseyside, West Cheshire & Wigan Business Awards
The team at BWM are delighted to have been shortlisted for Professional Services Business of the Year in the FSB (The Federation of Small Businesses) Merseyside, West Cheshire & Wigan Business Awards 2017. The award recognises professional services business which: Have increased or maintained sales during the past 12 months Deliver a high quality service … Continued
Late Payments Continue To Hit SMEs
Two-thirds (66%) of small businesses are feeling the effects of clients who fail to pay their bills on time, research shows. Banking group Close Brothers polled 900 small business owners and found the problem was particularly serious for 87% of SMEs in Northern Ireland, 73% in London and 72% in the South West. Late payments … Continued