Archives for 2020

If you are faced with making employees redundant, the terms that determine the amount payable may be written into your staff contracts of employment. Otherwise, employees will normally be entitled to statutory redundancy pay if they have been working with you for two years or more.
Entitlement is usually based on:
• half a week’s pay for each full year you were under 22 years of age,
• one week’s pay for each full year you were 22 or older, but under 41
• one and half week’s pay for each full year you were 41 or older
Length of service is capped at 20 years.
Your weekly pay is the average you earned per week over the 12 weeks before the day you got your redundancy notice.
Coronavirus furlough scheme
If an employee was furloughed prior to being made redundant the average weekly pay is their normal wage rather than any reduced amount they may have been paid during furlough.
According to HMRC sources, if you were made redundant on or after 6 April 2020, your weekly pay is capped at £538 and the maximum statutory redundancy pay you can get is £16,140. If you were made redundant before 6 April 2020, these amounts will be lower.
Also, please note that employees are not entitled to statutory redundancy pay if you offer to keep them on or if you offer suitable alternative work which an employee refuses without good reason.
Take advice
If you are faced with making staff redundant you should consider taking advice to ensure the process is dealt with correctly.

 

1 August 2020 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 October 2019.

19 August 2020 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 August 2020. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 August 2020)

19 August 2020 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 August 2020.

19 August 2020 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 August 2020 is payable by today.

1 September 2020 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 30 November 2019.

19 September 2020 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 September 2020. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 September 2020)

19 September 2020 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 September 2020.

19 September 2020 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 September 2020 is payable by today.

 

In an attempt to address the financial difficulties of businesses in the hospitality and tourism industries, Rishi Sunak also announced a range of VAT reductions on selected supplies for these sectors.

Summary of the changes are set out below:

Hospitality

When you supply food and non-alcoholic beverages for consumption on your premises, between 15 July 2020 and 12 January 2021 you will only need to charge 5% VAT.

You will also be able to charge the reduced 5% rate of VAT on your supplies of hot takeaway food and hot takeaway non-alcoholic drinks.

Hotel and holiday accommodation

You will also benefit from the temporary reduced rate if you:

• supply sleeping accommodation in a hotel or similar establishment
• make certain supplies of holiday accommodation
• charge fees for caravan pitches and associated facilities
• charge fees for tent pitches or camping facilities

Admission to certain attractions

If you charge a fee for admission to certain attractions where the supplies are currently standard rated, you will only need to charge the 5% reduced rate of VAT between 15 July 2020 and 12 January 2021.

However, if the fee you charge for admission is currently exempt, that will take precedence and your supplies will not qualify for the reduced rate.

Changes to your accounts’ software

In most cases these changes should be fairly easy to accommodate in your accounts’ software. If you are experiencing difficulties in this regard please call, we can help.

In his recent Summer Statement, Rishi Sunak announced changes to the nil rate band of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to be applied in England and Northern Ireland.

This was followed by announcements from the Scottish and Welsh regional assemblies who set the rates in Scotland and Wales.

Here is a brief summary of the regional changes aimed at stimulating the UK property market. In all cases rates will revert to previous levels 31 March 2021.

England and Northern Ireland

From 8 July 2020, if you purchase a residential property you will only pay SDLT on the amount you pay above £500,000. This applies whether or not you have purchased a property before – it is not restricted to first time buyers.

Scotland

From 15 July 2020, if you purchase a residential property in Scotland you will only pay the Land and Building Transaction Tax on the amount you pay above £250,000.

Wales

From 27 July 2020, if you purchase a residential property in Wales you will only pay the Land Transaction Tax on the amount you pay above £250,000.

In all regions, it is presumed that buyers of second homes and buy-to-let residential properties will still pay the additional stamp duty charge.

In an update to the GOV.UK website recently the following post appeared:

The Chancellor has written to the OTS (Office of Tax Simplification), to ask the OTS to undertake a review of Capital Gains Tax and aspects of the taxation of chargeable gains, in relation to individuals and smaller businesses.

As well as looking at opportunities to simplify administration and the impact of technical issues, the review will explore areas where the present rules can distort behaviour or do not meet their policy intent, to help ensure the system is fit for purpose.

The scoping document for the review has also been published, together with a call for evidence and an online survey.

In his letter, Rishi Sunak also said:

This review should identify opportunities relating to administrative and technical issues as well as areas where the present rules can distort behaviour or do not meet their policy intent. In particular, I would be interested in any proposals from the OTS on the regime of allowances, exemptions, reliefs and the treatment of losses within CGT, and the interactions of how gains are taxed compared to other types of income.

Let us hope that any changes to this tax – if subsequently made – do simplify the taxation of capital gains and do not add further layers of complexity.

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak continued with his campaign to support the business and jobs community today, 8 July 2020, as firms engage with the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak and the measures taken to control infection.

The main thrust of his announcements during his Summer Economic update concerned his nominated Plan for Jobs 2020, details are listed below.

He also announced measures to support the hospitality and tourism industry including a novel voucher scheme and a temporary reduction in VAT. Again, details are provided in the following update.

In an attempt to boost the flagging property market Stamp Duty is being temporarily reduced in England and Northern Ireland. Separate announcements on this topic are awaited for Scotland and Wales who have their own Stamp Duty regimes.

Details of these announcements follow:

1. Job Retention Bonus: employers that bring back an employee that was furloughed, and continuously employ them through to January 2021, will be paid a £1,000 government bonus per employee retained. Employees must be seen to be gainfully employed during this period and be paid at least £520 a month, on average, from November 2020 to January 2021. All furloughed employees returned to employment in this way will be available for the £1,000 bonus.
2. Kickstart scheme: this new scheme will cover the wages (plus associated costs) of new jobs created for any 16 to 24-year-old – at risk of long-term unemployment – for six months. These will have to be new jobs, of at least 25 hours a week and paid the National Minimum Wage. Employers will need to offer kickstarters training and support to find a permanent job. Employers can apply to be part of this new scheme from next month – August 2020 with first jobs starting in the autumn. Government has made an initial £2bn available for this scheme, but there is no cap on the number of places made available.
3. Apprenticeships: for the next six months government will pay employers to create new apprenticeships. The amount payable will be £2,000 for each apprentice. A new bonus to take on apprentices aged over 25 has also been announced. This will amount to £1,500 per appointment.
4. Green jobs initiatives: as an incentive to create jobs in the green jobs’ market a number of new grants have been announced. From September 2020, homeowners and landlords in England will be able to apply for a grant to make their home more energy efficient. The £2bn Green Homes grant will cover at least two-thirds of the cost up to £5,000 per household. For low income households these grants will cover all costs up to £10,000. There will also be a further £1bn allocated to make public buildings greener.
5. Boost for the housing market: Presently, in England and Northern Ireland (different amounts apply in the regions) no Stamp Duty Land Tax is payable on residential property purchases below £125,000. From today – for a temporary period to 31 March 2021 – this threshold is increased to £500,000. It is projected that this will reduce the average stamp duty bill by £4,500. Regional variations may apply. Purchasers buying a second residential property will still have to pay the 3% Stamp Duty Land Tax for property purchases up to £500,000.
6. VAT reduction for hospitality and tourism: for the next six months VAT charged on food, accommodation and attractions (such as eat-in or takeaway food in restaurants, cafes, pubs, cinemas, theme parks and zoos) will see VAT reduced from 20% to 5%. This will apply from 15th July 2020 until 12th January 2021.
7. Eat Out to Help Out discount: for the month of August 2020, meals eaten at any participating business Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, will be 50% off up to a maximum discount of £10 per head including children. To access the discount businesses will need to register and can do so through a website to be opened next Monday, 13 July 2020. Businesses will be able to claim the money back weekly with the money in their bank accounts within 5 working days.

As we manage the cautious steps to emerge from lock-down, still wary of COVID-19, the new incentives announced by Rishi Sunak should be welcomed.

As more details emerge on the various schemes announced they will be published accordingly.

1 July 2020 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 30 September 2019.

6 July 2020 – Complete and submit forms P11D return of benefits and expenses and P11D(b) return of Class 1A NICs.

19 July 2020 – Pay Class 1A NICs (by the 22 July 2020 if paid electronically).

19 July 2020 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 July 2020. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 July 2020)

19 July 2020 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 July 2020. 

19 July 2020 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 July 2020 is payable by today.

1 August 2020 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 October 2019.

19 August 2020 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 August 2020. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 August 2020)

31 July 2020 – Self-assessment second payment on account for 2019-20 is due. The government has announced measures that will allow many tax payers to delay this payment until January 2021, if they wish. 

19 August 2020 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 August 2020. 

19 August 2020 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 August 2020 is payable by today.

One aspect of the 1 July changes to the CJRS was the closing date to new entrants was set as 30 June 2020. This disadvantaged parents who had been on extended parental or maternal leave in recent months and were intending to return to work after 30 June.

The government has now confirmed that parents on statutory maternity and paternity leave who return to work in the coming months, after a long period of absence, will be permitted to be furloughed.

This will only apply where they work for an employer who has previously furloughed employees.

It is now confirmed that the UK will neither accept nor seek any extension to the Transition Period.

From 1 January 2020, the UK will have the autonomy to introduce its own approach to goods imported to GB from the EU.

Recognising the impact of coronavirus on businesses’ ability to prepare, and following the announcement in February that the UK would implement full border controls on imports coming into GB from the EU, the UK has taken the decision to introduce the new border controls in three stages up until 1 July 2021. This flexible and pragmatic approach will give industry extra time to make necessary arrangements. The stages are:

• From January 2021: Traders importing standard goods, covering everything from clothes to electronics, will need to prepare for basic customs requirements, such as keeping sufficient records of imported goods, and will have up to six months to complete customs declarations. While tariffs will need to be paid on all imports, payments can be deferred until the customs declaration has been made. There will be checks on controlled goods like alcohol and tobacco. Businesses will also need to consider how they account for VAT on imported goods. There will also be physical checks at the point of destination or other approved premises on all high risk live animals and plants.
• From April 2021: All products of animal origin (POAO) – for example meat, pet food, honey, milk or egg products – and all regulated plants and plant products will also require pre-notification and the relevant health documentation.

From July 2021: Traders moving all goods will have to make declarations at the point of importation and pay relevant tariffs. Full Safety and Security declarations will be required, while for SPS commodities there will be an increase in physical checks and the taking of samples: checks for animals, plants and their products will now take place at GB Border Control Posts.

A package of support to help high streets to get back on their feet was launched 12 June 2020. This announcement was made just days before shops were allowed to reopen on 15 June.

The High Streets Task Force will provide access to cutting-edge tools, training, information and advice for high streets across England as part of the government’s efforts to get shops open and back in business.

This support is open to local councils and all organisations involved with high streets and will include free access to online training programmes, webinars, data and intelligence on topics including recovery planning and coordination, public space and place marketing.

The support will form one part of the Task Force’s 4-year programme which will focus on the long-term transformation of town and city centres and helping communities reimagine and revitalise their high streets.