The government has announced changes to the rules on larger scale redundancies that will cut by half the consultation period required. Under the measures announced on 18 December, the current 90-day minimum period that applies where 100 or more employees are to be made redundant will be reduced to 45 days. Announcing the move, Employment… Read more…

Tax chiefs have issued a new year call to employers, urging them to ensure they are ready for major PAYE changes that come into effect in three months’ time. In April 2013, employers will have to start sending PAYE returns electronically, using Real Time Information (RTI)-enabled payroll software, to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) each… Read more…

British firms are being urged to explore new trade opportunities with the UK’s fastest growing major export market. The call came as Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green and CBI director-general John Cridland led a trade mission to Russia, including visits to Moscow and St Petersburg. The trip, involving 25 mid-sized businesses, took place from… Read more…

The costs of red tape on business will be slashed at twice the present rate from January 2013, the government says. From January, every new regulation imposing a new financial burden on firms must be offset by reductions in red tape that will save double those costs. The new One-in, Two-out rule will involve every… Read more…

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is to give some employers extra time to submit PAYE data in real time. Real Time Information (RTI) reporting of PAYE information will take effect in April 2013, when employers will need to start sending PAYE information electronically to HMRC, either on or before the date the payment is made.… Read more…

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has warned businesses registered for VAT that they may receive a new certificate they are not expecting. HMRC said that it was carrying out routine maintenance of its VAT systems and might need to change the way it recorded addresses for businesses registered for VAT, to ensure consistency across the… Read more…

New government figures suggest most people will stay in pension schemes under the new automatic enrolment initiative. The Department for Work and Pensions published its latest survey on retirement saving on 26 November, which found that 70 per cent of those questioned said they would be likely to stay in a pension scheme if they… Read more…

The government has announced reforms that will allow parents to share up to a year’s leave after the birth of a child and described them as “good news” for employers. It plans to introduce the changes to flexible working in 2014 and to flexible parental leave in 2015. The flexible working proposals would extend the… Read more…

Businesses across the country are being urged to bid for a share of a £150 million pot to create the training schemes they need to grow their companies. The fund, launched on 19 November, forms the second round of the Employer Ownership of Skills pilot (EOP), which is already giving nearly £70 million to 35… Read more…

Business people on modest incomes are under threat from the government’s proposed cap on income tax relief, tax specialists have warned. The limit of the higher of 25 per cent of income or £50,000 – set to take effect from April next year – is aimed at high earners but will also hit those in… Read more…