Regulators request delay in corporate reporting

Financial regulators have requested a moratorium on corporate financial reports for at least two weeks. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been communicating with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) about a package of measures to ‘reinforce trust in the reporting system’. These will be aimed at ensuring companies and… Read more…

Chancellor unveils help for self-employed workers

On 26 March, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a scheme to help self-employed workers who have been hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Under the scheme, the government will pay self-employed people a taxable grant based on an average of their earnings over the past three years. The grant will cover up to 80% of earnings, up… Read more…

Chancellor’s business support packages for coronavirus pandemic

On 17 March, Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a £330 billion package of support for the UK economy as it combats the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures dwarf the £12 billion made available in the 2020 Budget. The package includes an increase in government-backed loans, higher cash grants, widened business rates relief for some sectors and mortgage… Read more…

2020 Budget

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak presented his first Budget on Wednesday 11 March 2020. In his speech he stated ‘we are at the beginning of a new era in this country. We have the freedom and the resources to decide our own future’. ‘It is a Budget of a government that gets things done’. To download… Read more…

Additional financial support for flooding victims

The government has pledged thousands of pounds in additional financial support for victims of the recent floods. The Government has announced that businesses in England affected by the floods will be eligible for 100% business rates relief for at least three months. It also stated that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have experienced severe,… Read more…

Freeports

The government has launched a consultation on proposals to create up to ten freeports across the UK which would have different customs rules than those which apply in the rest of the UK. The government is considering a UK freeport model which would include multiple customs zones located within or away from a port, as… Read more…

Advisory fuel rates for company cars

New company car advisory fuel rates have been published which take effect from 1 March 2020. The guidance states: ‘You can use the previous rates for up to one month from the date the new rates apply’. The rates only apply to employees using a company car. The advisory fuel rates for journeys undertaken on or… Read more…

Minimum Wage increases

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) are the legal minimum wage rates that must be paid to employees. Employers are liable to be penalised for not complying with the NMW and NLW rules. There are different levels of NMW and NLW, depending on age and whether the employee is an apprentice.… Read more…