Latest News

Whyatt Pakeman celebrate appointment of new partner

Bristol-based chartered accountants Whyatt Pakeman Partners have recently celebrated the appointment of a new partner with a drinks and canapés reception. Staff members and invited guests packed the Royal West of England Academy in Clifton to welcome Richard Bunker who joined the firm following the merger of his own practice with Whyatt Pakeman. As well _ Read more

Updated auto-enrolment timetable issued

The government has published a revised timetable for when employers must start enrolling their staff in a workplace pension under the auto-enrolment initiative. Large employers – those with 250 or more employees – will face no change in the date they were due to start enrolling their staff. The largest employers will be the first _ Read more

Company law in red tape spotlight

Companies are being asked for their views on how to tackle unnecessary bureaucracy in company and commercial law in the latest phase of the government’s Red Tape Challenge to scrap unnecessary regulations. For three weeks from 26 January, the Red Tape Challenge will focus on more than 120 company law regulations, guidance and enforcement processes _ Read more

PM backs small businesses in new campaign

Empty and under-used government offices may become home to start-up and growing small businesses, under plans forming part of a new initiative announced by Prime Minister David Cameron. The Business in You campaign, launched by Mr Cameron on 23 January, is designed to inspire people to launch or expand their own businesses and help entrepreneurs _ Read more

‘Online only’ VAT returns weeks away

HMRC has issued a reminder to VAT-registered businesses that all VAT returns must be submitted online from April. Currently, only newly-registered businesses and those with turnovers of more than £100,000 have to submit VAT online, as well as paying electronically. Anyone else can send HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) a paper VAT return, if they _ Read more

SME manufacturers offered new support

A new national programme has been launched to help small and medium manufacturing businesses to grow. The new Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) became available to all manufacturing businesses across England from 3 January. It will be delivered by the Manufacturing Advisory Consortium (MAC) and it has been estimated that it will help to generate £1.5 _ Read more

New tax dispute scheme put to test

A pilot scheme has been launched for a new way to resolve disputes between SMEs and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) uses independent HMRC facilitators to resolve disputes between HMRC and small and medium-sized enterprises during a compliance check but before a decision or assessment has been made. The pilot, _ Read more

Move set to boost co-ops

New legislation will be introduced by 2015 that will help to make it as easy to set up a co-operative as any other form of business, the Prime Minister has announced. David Cameron said on 19 January that more than a dozen outdated pieces of legislation would be streamlined into the Co-operatives Bill, adding that _ Read more

Mediation pilot aims to resolve workplace disputes

A new government pilot scheme could pave the way to earlier and more cost-effective resolution of workplace disputes. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is to fund mediation training for employees from a group of 24 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in each of two pilot areas, centred on Cambridge and Manchester, later this _ Read more

Taxman to review record checks project

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is to carry out a review of its Business Record Checks project, designed to tackle poor record-keeping by small and medium-sized enterprises. In September 2011, HMRC said it planned to complete up to 12,000 checks by the end of the current financial year with 20,000 provisionally planned for 2012-13. Following _ Read more