All Tax and legislation articles – Page 31
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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 ...
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OpinionDavid Jones: Managing employees during Covid-19
We are in unprecedented times; unchartered waters for employers. When some businesses are focused on simply keeping themselves afloat, it is important not to lose sight of the biggest asset to any business: its employees.How businesses manage their employees today is going to have a profound impact on how those ...
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ArticleThe Pensions Regulator advises DB pension members to not move funds during Covid-19
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has issued guidance advising trustees to send defined benefit (DB) members, looking to move their retirement funds, a letter warning them of the risks during the pandemic, urging them to make their decisions carefully.Since 2015, many members have taken advantaged of the flexible DB schemes offered ...
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ArticleGovernment suspends pension tax charges for retired NHS staff returning to work
The government will temporarily suspend pension tax charges for all retired NHS employees who decide to work during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.This is to ensure that there are not any significant tax charges to employees' pension income for retired individuals due to their change in circumstances, especially those aged 50 ...
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ArticleGovernment introduces £60,000 life assurance scheme for front-line healthcare workers
Front-line health and care employees in England will be covered by a life assurance scheme that financially benefits their family if they die due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus).On 27 April 2020, the government announced bereaved family members will receive £60,000, totaling approximately double the average pensionable pay for NHS employees.The government ...
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ArticleFurloughed employees to receive full parental leave pay entitlements
Employees planning to take paid parental or adoption leave whilst on furlough will be entitled to full pay based on their usual earnings rather than a furloughed pay rate.Announced by the government on 24 April 2020, the changes ensures that all employees intending to take time off following the birth, ...
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OpinionDavid Jones: Managing employees during Covid-19
We are in unprecedented times, unchartered waters for employers. With some businesses focused on simply keeping themselves afloat during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, it is important not to lose sight of the biggest asset to any business, its employees. How businesses manage their employees today is going to have a ...
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ArticleGovernment extends job retention scheme to end of June 2020
The government announced on 17 April 2020 it would be extending the job retention scheme to 30th June 2020 to financially support businesses and their employees during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.The scheme was put in place 1 March 2020 to cover a period of three months, however, due to the ...