All Tax and legislation articles – Page 30
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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 ...
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OpinionIskander Fernandez: Will furlough fraud be the next big scandal?
The furlough scheme has provided vital respite for UK firms struggling to pay wages as a result of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, currently accounting for up to 80% of an employee’s wages, to a cap of £2,500 a month.However, wherever there is a complex system, there are loopholes, and some may ...
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ArticleGerman government extends Covid-19 pay scheme
The German government has extended its short-term allowance scheme until the end of 2021 to further support employees during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.The wage scheme, known as 'short-time work' or 'Kurzarbeit' in German, set to end at the end of March 2021, however, due to the ongoing spike of Coronavirus ...
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ArticleCalifornia Court of Appeals grants Uber and Lyft extension over ruling
The California Court of Appeal has granted US ridesharing businesses Uber and Lyft an extension to classify their drivers as employees during the appeal process in its ongoing court case.On 10 August 2020, the superior court of the state of California, ruled that over 750,000 Uber drivers and over 1.4 ...
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OpinionThomas Clark: How share-based incentives can help retain and motivate key staff
As the economic fallout from Covid-19 (Coronavirus) becomes ever clearer, it is important businesses are aware of all the tools at their disposal that can help them survive these difficult times. One tool that has slipped under the radar and deserves greater recognition is share-based incentives. Share schemes help retain ...
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OpinionCacy-Leigh Neilson: The end of the furlough scheme
Significant job losses and business closures are on the horizon as the end of the furlough scheme fast approaches. It is imperative that businesses consider their ability to continue to employ and pay staff now and in the coming months, which, no doubt, will become particularly precarious when the government ...
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ArticleUS Supreme Court rules Uber and Lyft must classify drivers as employees
US ridesharing organisations Lyft and Uber will have to identify all drivers as employees and not independent contractors, following on from a ruling by the superior court of the state of CaliforniaThe court ruled that over 750,000 Uber drivers and over 1.4 million Lyft drivers have been misclassified as independent ...
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ArticleGovernment extends pensions tax allowance deadline for NHS staff to March 2021
The government is giving NHS employees an extension on their pension scheme allowance liabilities for tax bills relating to 2018/19.NHS employees will now have until March 2021 to submit to the voluntary NHS pension scheme, an additional five months on top of the original three month extension. In May 2020, ...
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ArticleGovernment publishes further details of the job retention bonus
The government has published further details of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) bonus, providing more clarity on eligibility requirements.In the statement, it reconfirmed that employers will receive a one-off bonus of £1,000 for every employee who is brought back from furlough, if they remain at the business until the ...
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ArticleFurloughed employees to receive full pay if made redundant
Furloughed employees that have been made redundant will receive redundancy pay based on their full normal pay, under a new law passed on 30 July 2020.This will protect employees financially, ensuring that they will receive a full pay package upon being made redundant rather than the wages that they received ...
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ArticleHMRC to investigate businesses exploiting furlough scheme
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will begin to investigate businesses that it suspects are abusing the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).Its investigations will determine whether employers are fraudulently claiming payments under the furlough scheme while returning employees to work. This will sit alongside new legislation giving organisations a 90-day ...
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OpinionMichal Izak: How employers are preparing for further waves of Covid-19
It is not always easy to decouple employers’ response to the ongoing Covid-19 (Coronavirus) crisis from their long-term planning in case the situation aggravates. However, many employers are putting in place three main measures, or combinations thereof, to be insulated from the direct effects of a potential second wave of ...
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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 ...