All Tax and legislation articles – Page 19
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OpinionRanjit Dhindsa: What do employers need to plan for 2021?
It's been said that 2020 was an unprecedented year, but perhaps 2021 will be an even bigger test. Last year, businesses had to deal with the final countdown to Brexit coupled with a pandemic that still continues to plague the world.This year, employers will again need to juggle a number ...
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ArticleEmployment tribunal rejects Ryanair’s case for removing striking pilots' benefits
Low-cost airline Ryanair has had its defence for removing benefits from 29 striking pilots thrown out by the Employment Tribunal.The pilots, with the help of The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), brought action against the employer after claiming that had their travel benefits removed in ‘retaliation’ for striking during the ...
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OpinionStephen Morrall and Hannah Solel: Improved benefits for gig workers may become the new norm
The big players in the gig economy, such as Uber, Addison Lee, Citisprint and Pimlico Plumbers, provide a system of working for thousands of people that some think is flexible and forward-looking, but others regard as insecure and exploitative.Certainly, organisations such as these have tried their level best to argue ...
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ArticleColony Tire ordered to pay $152,109 in back wages
US automotive organisation Colony Tire has been ordered to pay 248 employees $152,109 (£112,978) in back wages by the US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD).The organisation was found to have not included employees' commissions in their regular rates of pay when calculating their overtime hours. By excluding ...
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ArticleGerman government extends child sickness benefit for working parents
The German government has extended its child sickness benefit in 2021 to further support working parents during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.The enhancements in childcare sickness benefit are due to the German government extending Coronavirus lockdown restrictions and imposing tougher measures until 31 January 2021.Employees with responsibilities for children will receive ...
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ArticleKeep up to date with the Spending Review 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will deliver his Spending Review speech on Wednesday 25 November 2020.He is expected to provide information on further plans to stabilise the UK economy and help organisations deal with the financial ramifications of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.Stay tuned to the Employee Benefits website for all the latest ...
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OpinionLee Harding: Takeaways from the latest furlough scheme guidance
On 10 November, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provided updated guidance for its headline job support measure, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), also known as the furlough scheme. While most aspects of the CJRS remain unchanged, there are some significant developments of which both employers and employees should be ...
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OpinionRanjit Dhindsa: The additional extension of furlough
On 5 November 2020, the UK government announced it would be extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to March 2021, a leap from its previous announcement on 31 October, which stated that it would only be extended for four weeks.This was a shock to many organisations, somewhat making it ...
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ArticleGovernment publishes further guidance on Job Retention Scheme
The government has published further guidance on the Government Job Retention Scheme (GJRS), including details on flexible furlough and employees taking paid leave.The guidance outlines the increase in flexibility that the extended scheme provides when compared to its original implementation in March, such as allowing flexible furlough from the start.Under ...
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ArticleGovernment extends furlough scheme to March 2021
The government has extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to March 2021, following the introduction of national lockdown restrictions across England on 5 November 2020.Under the terms of the extension, the government will continue to pay up to 80% of a person’s wage capped at a maximum of £2,500 ...
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ArticleGovernment extends Coronavirus Job Retention scheme
The government has extended its Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) until December 2020 to support those most impacted by the most recent measures put in place due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.The government, under the new extension will pay up to 80% of employees' wages, with a cap of £2,500, ...
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OpinionCaroline Harwood: Tax implications of Christmas parties during Covid-19
As we are now well into autumn, and Christmas decorations start making their way into shops, employers may have started to think about their annual Christmas party; but this year, it is different.With Covid-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions likely to be in place until Christmas in some shape or form, employers will ...
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OpinionJeremy Harris: Pension entitlements under the Job Support Scheme
In September 2020, the government announced the replacement to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, replacing it with the Job Support Scheme (JSS). This scheme came with very mixed reactions, particularly businesses wondering what the actual incentive is to pay employees for a third of their work and also contribute to ...
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ArticleGovernment expands Job Support Scheme to support staff affected by Covid-19 restrictions
The government has expanded the Job Support Scheme to support businesses who are forced to close due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions.The Job Support Scheme is the government's most recent attempt to support employees who are working reduced hours and prevent mass redundancies due to the financial constraints of businesses. The ...
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OpinionKathryn Barnes: Returning to work on good terms
Many employees are living through profound and possibly permanent changes in workplace culture, processes and conditions. The situation for traditional office-based work remains difficult to predict. While the office culture many of us know is not disappearing entirely, neither is it likely to return in full to pre-pandemic levels.Employers and ...
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ArticleGovernment publishes new guidance on Job Retention Bonus
The government has published further guidance on the Job Retention Bonus, originally announced in July 2020.The scheme, which has been introduced to support employees throughout the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, gives organisations an incentive to bring back as many employees as possible from furlough.The new guidance has released information on what ...
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ArticleUK government to top up wages of staff working reduced hours
The UK government is to top up the pay of employees working reduced hours in order to support staff and businesses dealing with the financial impact of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.The Job Support Scheme, which was announced by Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 24 September 2020, will give ...
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ArticleIskander Fernandez: How can employers ensure applications avoid furlough fraud investigation
The instability brought about by the pandemic, resultant lockdown and recession, has provided a climate that has unfortunately fuelled fraudulent behaviour, which usually results when three components are present: opportunity, incentive and rationalisation. It is therefore unsurprising that some individuals and businesses have sought to take advantage of the scheme.There ...
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ArticleThree social care agencies ordered to pay homecare workers £100,000 in back pay
Social care agencies Kammil Education, Diligent Care Services and Premier Carewaiting have been ordered to pay homecare workers over £100,000 in back wages, after they were found to be breaching wage rules by an employment tribunal.In 2016, the 10 care workers, who were represented by trade union Unison, argued that ...
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OpinionAlastair Currie: How to support employees making the return to work
Owing to the pandemic, according to figures by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), an estimated 7.5 million UK jobs were put on furlough between 20 April and 10 May 2020, with that figure coming close to almost a quarter of the British population.Organisations need to be particularly sensitive when ...