Employment relations specialist Acas has launched a new guide to tackle what it describes as the last taboo in business – mental illness at work. According to the Centre for Mental Health charity, a total of 91 million work days are lost to mental ill health every year although the lost days account for only… Read more…

A Supreme Court ruling in a key direct age discrimination case is a reminder to employers that a worker’s age should not be “shorthand” on which to base their ability to do their job, says the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). In the ruling, delivered on 25 April, the court dismissed an appeal by… Read more…

A new online toolkit has been launched to give first-time employers a step-by-step guide to their obligations when taking on a member of staff. Taking on an Employee, which is available on the Business Link website, takes employers through the process of hiring their first member of staff and explains their legal responsibilities on issues… Read more…

People trading on the internet who haven’t paid all the tax they owe are being invited to come forward and pay up under a new HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) campaign. The e-Markets Disclosure Facility will allow online marketplace traders to pay the tax they owe and benefit from lower penalties, rather than waiting for… Read more…

A new survey says that IT security breaches are costing the UK economy billions of pounds a year. A total of 447 businesses were quizzed for the 2012 Information Security Breaches Survey (ISBS), carried out by PwC in conjunction with Infosecurity Europe and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Key findings of… Read more…

UK hi-tech small and medium-sized enterprises with high growth potential are set to benefit from at least £40 million of investment from a new Enterprise Capital Fund. Notion Capital, which is backed by private investors, the government and the European Investment Fund, will target businesses delivering internet-based services, including  cloud computing and software as a… Read more…

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has highlighted the availability of mobile apps that can help small businesses with record keeping on the go. Commercial software businesses, following consultation with HMRC, have developed the apps for businesses below the VAT threshold. HMRC said: “These applications may help with maintaining good records and include links to HMRC… Read more…

The government has launched a consultation on the new above the line (ATL) research and development (R&D) tax credit for larger companies, to help shape the way it should work when it is introduced in April 2013. The new credit was originally announced by the government in the autumn of 2011 and flagged up by… Read more…

Royal Mail has announced steep rises in the prices of stamps from 30 April 2012. The price of a first class stamp for a standard letter will rise from 46p to 60p and the cost of a second class stamp for a standard letter will rise from 36p to 50p. The announcement, on 27 March,… Read more…

A man has been jailed for 12 months for evading £91,000 of income tax and national insurance during ten years of trading as a self-employed plumber David Williams, 53, was sentenced on 27 March at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Mr Williams, of Rowley Regis, Sandwell, admitted charges of evasion of income tax, contrary to the Taxes… Read more…