Berkshire Express

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Business News

Recent developments that may be of importance for your business.
Look back in time for anything you might have missed.

All statements below are brief summaries only, for the purpose of drawing attention of businesses to some matters of possible importance, and to act as reminders; they are not exhaustive, and are NOT statements of the law and in no event should be taken as substitutes for specific legal and/or financial advice.

Date Item Url
2009
Oct 1 New UK national minimum wage rates will come into force TODAY. They are now:-
  • £5.80 an hour to workers aged 22 and above
  • £4.83 an hour to workers aged 18-21
  • £3.57 an hour to workers aged below 18 and over compulsory school age
Oct 1 Final changes under the Companies Act 2006 apply from TODAY. Mostly affecting Limited Liability Partnerships.
BEWARE the latest scam - Someone rings you, supposedly from your credit card bank. They will talk about changes for security reasons or some other topic. They don't ask for your credit card number (which also seems to confirm they are genuinely from the bank) - because they have already obtained it. But at some stage they will ask for the 3 digit security number on the back of your card. This enables them to buy goods from suppliers over phone or Internet. Your account will be debited for hundreds of pounds within minutes of you putting down the phone.
Apr 1 HMRC now have increased powers to visit home-based business premises, including any part of a residential property which is used to operate a company, and to investigate their accounts. This can be a costly process. The best thing to do is to take out insurance cover - see your accountants about that.
2008
Oct 1 Provisions of the Companies Act 2006 apply to Limited Liability Partnerships from TODAY.
Oct 1 Changes to trade mark processes and applications apply from TODAY, including a standard 2 month time limit on various procedures.
Jul 23 Employees on additional maternity leave and additional adoption leave will in future benefit from all their non-pay contractual terms and conditions throughout their entire period of statutory leave.
May 26 New advertising regulations: 1. prohibit advertising likely to mislead traders, and 2. impose strict conditions on comparative advertising, particularly to stop comparison of unlike products, mislead traders or consumers, or confuse between the advertiser and competitor. The regulations do not apply to advertisement publishers; nevertheless this web site may alter, or drop completely, without notice, any directory entry where we find sufficient reason to believe it may be misleading within the terms of these regulations.
May 26 A number of unfair commercial practices are prohibited from TODAY. This includes misleading consumers, withholding important information, unfairly agressive tactics, and implying that a prize has been won when that is not the case or where money would first have to be paid. It is in line with the general principle of these regulations that this web site normally takes the stance that we will not include in our directory any company or business that does not wish to display it's address, either in the directory entry itself, or failing that, on the web site that any link in the directory entry leads to. PO box numbers are not sufficient for this. Exceptions can be made in the case of small one man businesses where the address is a private residence and the trade is one where the product or service is traditionally provided before asking the customer for payment; e.g. window cleaning.
Apr 6 Previous regulations about informing and consulting with employees now apply to all firms with 50 or more employees.
29 Feb From TODAY employers who employ illegal migrant workers are liable to a civil penalty, if they have not performed required checks of, and kept copies of, the employee's relevant documents. For employees permitted in the UK for a limited time these checks must be repeated at least annually.
2007
Oct 30 New waste disposal regulations apply from TODAY. Businesses that send non-hazardous waste to land-fill must treat it first. "Treating" can be as simple as sorting it into different types, but you need to check how the provisions of the new Landfill Directive affect your business. web
July 1 Smoking is prohibited in work places, and also in work vehicles used by more than one person, from TODAY (in England) under the recent anti-smoking legislation. Compliant no smoking signs must be displayed at all public entrances to smoke free premisis, and in vehicles. The ban includes smoking by employees, customers, and other visitors; it applies also to "substantially enclosed" spaces; and any indoor reserved smoking areas are prohibited. Managers can be fined if they fail to enforce the ban or display compliant signs.
April 2 The smoking ban in Wales takes effect TODAY (similar to the English ban described above).
Jan 1 Limited companies must from TODAY display their registered name, number and registered address in all emails, and on their website if any, just as they already have to on other business correspondence. Other provisions come into force later - watch especially for the reduced time to file accounts from April 2008, and who can be directors from Oct 2008.
2006
Computer defences: The IT analysts, Gartner, predict that by the end of 2007, “75% of enterprises will be infected with undetected, financially motivated, targeted malware that evaded their traditional perimeter and host defences.” web
Beware bogus emails, allegedly from HMRC, notifying recipients of a large tax refund to be made direct into their bank account. It is the latest "phishing" scam, and is aimed at persuading people to complete a form with all their bank details. It is a move on from all the recent emails supposedly from banks. Do NOT complete the form! web
1 Oct Age discrimination in the workplace is outlawed from TODAY. It is now illegal for employers to treat employees under 65 differently because of their age. Job advertisements will not generally be able to specify age requirements. Employees due to retire at 65 may ask to stay on. Many benefits that may have been applicable up to age 60 or some other age will have to be extended to age 65.
2004
Telephone scams are now rife, whereby computer users who connect to the Internet using dial-up modems are being rerouted through premium rate numbers without their knowledge. Achieved by software being downloaded onto victims computers. It results in bills for hundreds of pounds, and BT and other companies refuse to accept liability.
1 Oct From TODAY the Disability Discrimination Act requires small businesses to ensure that their premises and services are accessible to people (both customers and employees) with disabilities, or face stiff fines. Web
Data Protection Act Scams are on the increase! If you receive official looking, even threatening letters requiring you to register for the Act, usually for a fee around £100 plus VAT, ignore them. The fee, with very simple registration form direct or online from the Information Commissioner, is £35, no VAT, and only if it applies to your business.
5 Feb Companies planning to buy computer or communications equipment may be well advised to buy before March 31, as Gordon Brown is widely expected to stop the current 100% first year capital allowances on such purchases by small companies (40% allowances for medium companies).
2003
11 Dec Businesses using email marketing must, under regulations taking effect TODAY, have received explicit permission before sending commercial emails to individuals unless (a) the recipient is an existing customer and (b) the email only contains details of products or services similar to those already supplied to the customer. Web
1 Dec Employee use of hand-held mobile phones while driving, under TODAY's new mobile phone regulations, may result in prosecution of not only the driver, but also the employer. Employers will not only be liable if they require employees to use a hand-held while driving, but may also be liable if they fail to forbid their employees to use them. Web
Banking email scams are on the rise. People receive emails purporting to be from their bank, with a link to a replica of the bank's official site, which then asks for their password and account details. In October customers of all of Barclays, Citibank, Halifax, Lloyds TSB and NatWest, and also PayPal, were emailed in this way. Never follow links from such an apparent bank email, or release your account details in response to one. The banks will not ask for them. Web
15 Aug Farmers and landowners in Berkshire (and other parts of the South) should note the deadline of midnight of 23 August 2003 for you to appeal against land you own which might have been included in the Countryside Agency's Provisional Maps of Open Country and Registered Common Land. This is under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (the so called "right to roam" Act). web
An all-day business-to-business trade show will held at Newbury Racecourse on Wednesday 22 October 2003, to promote networking and allow small businesses to meet. Includes exhibitors, demonstrations and seminars. Organised by the West Berkshire Business Club, but open to non-members. Click the web site link opposite for details. web
1 July From TODAY suppliers of digital services from outside the EU will have to pay VAT on sales to member states.
1 May VAT registration threshold is now £56,000 as from 10 April 2003. But note: an amnesty for the belated notification penalty is in force until 30 September 2003.
1 May Does your company have a wireless computer network? A security test done in Reading and Wokingham streets, by consultants Consult & See, has found 60% of company wireless networks set up with zero security precautions. Hackers could just sit in the street outside with an aerial (that's how the test was done) and hack in to these company systems. web
17 April The DTI have launched a new web site giving news of technology around the world. web
6 April The Flexible Working Regulations come in to force TODAY, entitling employees with young children to 1. paternity leave 2. increased 26 weeks maternity leave 3. requests to work from home to be considered. web
6 April The new Working Tax Credit (WTC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) apply TODAY, replacing Working Families’ Tax Credit, Disabled Persons’ Tax Credit and the Children’s Tax Credit and other benefits.
6 April A 1% National Insurance increase applying from TODAY to employee earnings and self-employed profits, applies to everything above the lower limits; it is not limited by the upper limits.
31 March The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 come into force TODAY, requiring: 1. goods to conform to advertising, labelling, and the sale contract 2. guarantees to be in writing and legally binding 3. faulty goods to be repaired or replaced if returned within 6 months.
31 March New service from Berkshire Express - we launch this news page to inform business owners of vital information.



Please note: We are unable to answer enquiries for further information about any of the above matters. If a web link is shown, it will lead to a web site which did, at the time of adding the item, have information (though they may have archived or deleted it since). Where there is no link shown above, doing a search of relevant main words in a search engine such as www.google.co.uk or a directory such as www.yahoo.co.uk should lead to sources of further information.