One in every five business energy bills contains errors according to a research report by Inenco. The report also believes that businesses could be sitting on half a billion pounds in inaccurate charges and miscalculated utility bills. Energy bills mistakes include incorrect rates, human error, complex data flows and meter reading errors. Collectively, these inaccuracies…
Read moreWith £820million of new anti-tax avoidance measures announced in today’s Budget, Andrew Tate, president of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3, says: The government needs to think more carefully about the impact its anti-tax avoidance tools have on those individuals affected. Tackling the abuse of the tax system is needed, but efforts to do so should…
Read morePhilip King Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management has refuted suggestions that new government financial reporting rules will increase the burden on big businesses, and says greater transparency will help improve customer/supplier relationships. From next month, all big businesses will be obliged to post their payment records on a dedicated government website on how…
Read moreBusinesses across England and Wales are grappling with the huge business rates burden ahead of the controversial revaluation in April new research reveals. An exclusive investigation by CVS Business Rent & Rates Specialists has found nearly 200,000 businesses were hauled before a Magistrate in 2015/16 for non-payment of their business rates fuelling claims the system…
Read moreThe HMRC collected an additional £140 million via investigations into unpaid Capital Gains Tax (CGT) over the last year* shows data provided by HMRC to Collyer Bristow. Collyer Bristow explains that £55 million of the extra CGT related to investigations into ‘wealthy individuals’ and mid-sized businesses, whilst the remaining £85 million was obtained from everyday taxpayers and small businesses. “The statistics make clear that this area…
Read moreThe £15 million supplementary levy imposed on mortgage brokers by the FSCS will hit the best-qualified brokers hardest, says the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB). Rob Lankey, CEO of the NACFB, said “Of course we welcome any move that protects borrowers. The steps we’ve taken to embrace regulation have not been cost-free and our…
Read moreThe Forum of Private Business (FPB) has welcomed the announcement from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) that late payment of small business invoices is to be a focus of the Minister for Business. They claim that the issuance of guidance to large businesses on how to pay on time is probably…
Read moreThe HMRC collected £178 million via its Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) last year. This is up by £62 million (53%) on the amount collected the previous year, says Collyer Bristow, a leading private client law firm. Collyer Bristow explains that ATED was first introduced in April 2013 and is payable on high-value UK residential property…
Read moreThe Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) has called for a more user-friendly regulatory system from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in its response to the regulator’s ‘Future Mission’ consultation. Fiona Hoyle, head of Consumer and Mortgage Finance at the FLA, said: “Consumer credit firms now account for at least 35,000 of the 56,000 regulated by…
Read moreOfgem has announced that British Gas Business is to pay £9.5 million in redress, following failings in its registrations, complaints handling and billing processes for business customers. British Gas Business implemented a new IT billing system in March 2014 which left tens of thousands of its business customers with delayed and inaccurate bills. Over 6,000…
Read moreHMRC recovered an extra £3.17billion in underpaid VAT from large businesses as a result compliance investigations undertaken by the Large Business Directorate over the last year* says Pinsent Masons. Pinsent Masons says that although this is slightly less than the £3.38billion it collected the previous year, VAT enquiries are by far the highest yielding area…
Read moreThe Competition and Market’s Authority, (CMA) has conducted a market study into legal services and found that businesses looking to employ legal help often don’t have all the information they need to make an informed choice. This can lead to poor quality service or consumers paying over the odds. Small businesses are disproportionately affected by…
Read moreThe Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) has welcomed draft regulations that will require large companies to publish details on their payment practices, and the recognition of the Prompt Payment Code (PPC) as the ‘gold standard’ in the fair treatment of suppliers. Philip King, Chief Executive of the CICM, believes that Government has clearly listened…
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