All Tax and legislation articles – Page 23
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ArticleCoronavirus Job Retention Scheme claims total £31.7 billion
Claims to date under the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme total £31.7 billion as at 26 July 2020, an increased of £1.9 billion since 19 July 2020.According to HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) data, 9.5 million employees in the UK have been placed on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) ...
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ArticleEmployers can use furlough scheme during contractual notice periods
Guidance updated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) confirms that employers can still claim for furlough payments if an employee has been put on a full notice period.The original guidance stated that organisations could claim the statutory notice period under the scheme, however, an amendment has made it clear that ...
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ArticleRoyal Mail's appeal over status of agency workers dismissed by court
The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has dismissed an appeal submitted by Angard Staffing Solutions and Royal Mail against the Employment Tribunal decision for the case of Mr D Kocur and 66 other claimants regarding unfair treatment of agency workers.In October 2015, Mr Kocur alleged unfair treatment by not being given ...
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ArticleGovernment announces Kickstart job scheme for young employees
Mini-Budget 2020: The government has introduced a new scheme offering to pay 100% of the wages of employees aged 16-24, if an organisation chooses to hire them on a six-month job placement.Employers can claim back the cost of the national minimum wage of £6.45 for employees aged between 18 and ...
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ArticleEmployers to receive £1,000 bonus for every furloughed employee returning to work
Mini-Budget 2020: The government has introduced a payment to UK employers of £1,000 for each furloughed employee who returns to work and remains with the business through to the end of January 2021.Employees must be earning above the lower earnings limit of £520 per month between the end of October ...
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OpinionJames Davies and Amy Cooper: How are employers continuing to deal with Covid-19?
The Covid-19 (Coronavirus) crisis presents businesses with multiple challenges, including how to continue to get the best out of their workforce while keeping them safe.Many employees have had to juggle childcare and schooling responsibilities with working in makeshift home offices. The government’s furlough scheme has, meanwhile, helped preserve jobs where ...
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ArticleGovernment reverses ruling on charging tax for Covid-19 tests
The Government has reversed its ruling on classing Covid-19 (Coronavirus) testing as a benefit in kind tax.Concerns were raised by Mel Stride, chair of the treasury committee after guidance published by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on 6 July 2020 stated that Coronavirus (Covid-19) testing kits or tests carried out ...
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ArticleKeep updated with the mini-Budget 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will deliver his mini-Budget speech at approximately 12.30 pm on Wednesday 8 July 2020.He will be expected to discuss further plans to get the UK economy back on track to help businesses and the UK population deal with the financial ramifications of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.Stay tuned ...
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OpinionSamantha Woodham: Supporting employees through a divorce
42% of marriages end in divorce according to research by the Office for National Statistics, published in December 2012.If you had a blank sheet of paper, it would be hard to devise a worse process for navigating the legal side of a separation than our adversarial system. It pits couples ...
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ArticleHM Treasury publishes updated version of job retention scheme
HM Treasury has published a revised direction on the Government Job Retention Scheme (GJRS), making this the third version of the GJRS since it launched on 15 April 2020.The legislation includes updates to the flexible furlough scheme which will come into effect on 1 July 2020.Organisations will be able to ...
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OpinionKate Martin: Managing an employee’s holiday allowance while on furlough
With so many holidays booked and cancelled during lockdown, and there being a number of bank holidays that have fallen during this period, it has left employers wondering what is the right way to be managing employees’ holiday allowances while they are on furlough.The government guidance on taking holiday while ...
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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 more information about the new flexible furlough rules.From 1 July 2020, businesses will be able to bring back furloughed employees to work a flexible pattern, while claiming funds back for the hours that they do not ...
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OpinionNicholas Stretch: How are all-employee share plans faring as a benefit in the current crisis?
The two widely used share plans in the UK are sharesave (SAYE) and the share incentive plan (Sip). They, like most employee benefits at the moment, are under real pressure from companies and their participants to show value for money, appeal and flexibility. After all, while employee share plans are ...
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ArticleParents returning to work after maternity and paternity leave eligible for furlough pay
Working parents on statutory maternity and paternity leave, who are returning to work before October 2020, will be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).The enhancement to the CJRS will mean that working parents will still be able to receive 80% of their salary through the government scheme, if ...
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OpinionHelen Watson: Business decisions during Covid-19
With little time to prepare or plan, businesses have needed to make critical decisions while having to navigate ever-changing legislation and guidance set out by the government. This has, in turn, left many employers potentially vulnerable, with lots of business owners and managers confused about what the correct duties and ...
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ArticleGovernment to launch online service for SMEs to reclaim Covid-19 statutory sick pay
Small and medium-sized employers (SMEs), which have fewer than 250 employees, will be able to recover Coronavirus-related employee statutory sick pay (SSP) when the government launches a new online service on 26 May 2020.The online scheme, which was announced as part of the 2020 Budget, will enable employers to reclaim ...
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OpinionEmma Swan: Five finer details of the furlough scheme
One of the biggest economic impacts of Covid-19 is the high risk of widespread job losses. Organisations are experiencing significant drops in revenue and, unfortunately, for many businesses, making redundancies is a logical first step to protect cashflow and help secure company survival.The Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is ...
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ArticleGovernment job retention scheme extended to end of October 2020
The government's Coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) has been extended for a further four months until the end of October 2020, to assist businesses that are affected by the financial ramifications of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the decision in Parliament on 12 May 2020 ...
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OpinionMatthew Swynnerton: Key pension issues arising from Covid-19
Some trustees may receive requests from sponsors to reduce, delay or suspend contributions, as employers may seek to deviate from the schedule of contributions due to cashflow concerns.Any such proposal would require the consent of the trustees, who would need to consider the members’ best interests, the scheme rules, The ...
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OpinionVikki Massarano: Member contributions during the pandemic
The Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has multiple ramifications for businesses in every sector. Its implications for pension schemes are huge. Despite the government’s confirmation in March that employer minimum auto-enrolment contributions will be covered under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for furloughed workers, the defined contribution savings space has been ...