New financial support measures announced
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has delivered his third major statement to the House of Commons in less than a month. This followed the Winter Economy Plan on 24 September and further announcements on 9 October that expanded the scope of the Job Support Scheme and introduced new grants for businesses
Gaming behind the wheel?
Unbelievably, it has been illegal to make phone calls or text while driving a car, but not illegal to play games or take photos.
Clearly, this loophole is begging to be closed and new legislation proposed, 17 October 2020, will aim to do just that. A Government announcement says:
People using a
Job Support Scheme Expansion
On Friday 9 October, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced an extension to the Job Support Scheme (JSS). The expanded scheme will include additional support for employees of businesses that are forced to close because of local or national lockdown measures. The extended scheme will run in parallel
Grants overclaimed?
Any business that has overclaimed a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grant must pay back the overpayment to HMRC. The rules outlined below for paying HMRC back an overclaim also apply to businesses that would like to make a voluntary repayment because they do not want or need the grant.
Any
Claiming the Job Retention Bonus
New guidance has been published on claiming the Job Retention Bonus. The Job Retention Bonus provides for a £1,000 bonus payment to employers that bring back an employee that was furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and continuously employs them for at least 3 months after the
COVID review of salary sacrifice arrangements
The tax and NIC advantages of certain benefits provided as part of a salary sacrifice arrangement were removed from 6 April 2017. The change effectively removed the Income Tax and employer NIC advantages of certain benefits provided as part of salary sacrifice arrangements such as mobile phones and
Kickstart scheme who can apply
The new £2 billion Kickstart scheme will enable employers to offer young people on Universal Credit – and at risk of long-term unemployment – state-subsidised work placements for six months. The Kickstart scheme is available to qualifying 16 – 24 year olds in England, Scotland and Wales.
The
SEISS – claims deadline 19 October 2020
The deadline for making a claim under the second round of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is 19 October 2020. The second grant covers the quarter to 31 August 2020. This grant will provide up to £6,570 for the quarter (£2,190 per month) paid in a single instalment. These figures
UK beef exporters given USA boost
The first shipments of UK beef departed for the USA last week. 30th September 2020, marking an historic moment for UK farmers and food producers.
Following the USA’s longstanding ban on EU beef – introduced in the wake of the BSE outbreak in 1996 – market access for UK beef was granted in March
Employee eligibility for Job Support Scheme
The new Job Support Scheme was introduced on 1 November 2020 as part of the government drive to help protect jobs where businesses are facing lower demand over the winter months due to coronavirus.
This scheme has been designed to support viable jobs and employees must work at least one-third of