The government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme – designed to support smaller businesses in adopting digital technologies – is now open for applications.

Under the scheme, eligible businesses can now receive discounts of up to £5,000 off the retail price of approved digital accounting and CRM software from leading technology suppliers.

Businesses can also access practical, specialised support and advice on how to choose the right digital technologies to boost their growth and productivity.

Currently three accounting software providers are signed up to the scheme – Sage, Intuit and E-crunch. The next phase of the programme will see the scheme extended to e-commerce software.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

‘I want UK businesses to be primed and ready to seize all the opportunities on the horizon as we build back better from the pandemic.

‘Adopting technology means higher performance, and the Help to Grow: Digital scheme is future-proofing our small businesses and putting the UK at the forefront of the worldwide digital revolution.’

Internet link: Help to Grow website

HMRC has warned that businesses must declare any coronavirus (COVID-19) support grants or payments on their company tax returns and stated that the grants and payments are taxable.

The deadline for filing company tax returns is 12 months after the end of the accounting period.

The deadline to pay corporation tax will depend on any taxable profits and when the end of the accounting period occurs. It is generally nine months after the end of the accounting period unless profits exceed £1.5 million.

Grants to be included as taxable income include:

• Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate
• Coronavirus Business Support Grants (also known as local authority grants or business rate grants)
• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grant
• Eat Out to Help Out payment.

If a company received any of these payments, they will need to do both of the following on their CT600 tax return:

• include it as income when calculating their taxable profits in line with the relevant accounting standards
• report it separately on their company tax return using the CJRS and Eat Out to Help Out boxes.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

‘We want to make sure companies are getting their tax returns right, first time, including any COVID-19 support payment declarations. Support and guidance is available on GOV.UK.’

Internet link: HMRC press release  GOV.UK

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is set to introduce a new consumer duty to better protect users of financial services.

The new rules will help tackle harmful practices such as providers of financial services presenting information in a way that exploits consumers’ behavioural biases; selling products or services that are not fit for purpose; or providing poor customer support.

The FCA says it wants to ‘drive a fundamental shift in industry mindset’ by raising standards and helping firms to get products and services right in the first place.

The new rules will mean firms will have to place emphasis on supporting and empowering their clients to make good financial decisions and avoid foreseeable harm throughout the customer relationship.

Firms will be required to provide customers with information they can understand; offer products and services that are fit for purpose; and provide helpful customer service.

A consultation will be open until 15 February 2022 and the FCA?expects to confirm any final rules?by the end of July 2022.

Sheldon Mills, Executive Director of Consumers and Competition at the FCA, said:

‘Making good financial decisions is vital to financial well-being and trust, but too often consumers are not given the information they need to make good decisions and are sold products or services that do not offer the benefits they might expect. We want to change that.

‘We’ve been working to set a higher standard for firms, to put more of the onus on them to act in their customers’ interests and get their products and services right.’

Internet link: FCA website

More than 440,000 small firms could be forced out of business by the late payment crisis, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

An FSB study of more than 1,200 business owners found that close to one in three has seen late payment of invoices increase over the last three months, with a further 8% experiencing other forms of poor payment practice.

As a result, 8% of small businesses say late payments are now threatening the viability of their business. This equates to 440,000 of the estimated 5.5 million small businesses in the UK.

FSB National Chairman, Mike Cherry, said:

‘After another frustrating festive season, small firms are facing flashpoint after flashpoint. Today, it’s a fresh wave of admin for importers and exporters – in three months’ time it will be a hike to the jobs tax that is national insurance contributions, a rise in dividend taxation, business rates bills and an increase in the national living wage.

‘On top of that, operating costs are surging – many will soon be trying to strike energy deals without the clout of big corporates, or the protections afforded to consumers.’

Internet link: FSB press release

On 20 December 2021, the Welsh government outlined a Budget to ‘build a stronger, fairer and greener Wales‘.

The Welsh government unveiled a £116 million package of funding to aid with the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be combined with existing permanent relief schemes that see over 85,000 properties continue to receive support. The scheme will be capped at £110,000 per business.

Many firms had been receiving 100% off their rates, which helps to pay for services provided by local government, but previous COVID-19 business rate schemes have come to an end.

A further £35 million has been set aside to freeze the non-domestic rates multiplier for 2022/23, so there will be no increase in the amount of rates businesses are paying.

Meanwhile, an additional £1.3 billion in funding will be supplied to the NHS in Wales to help provide effective, high quality and sustainable healthcare following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Budget also tackles inequality and invests in future generations through an additional £320 million to continue a long-term programme of learning and education reform.

Welsh government Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans, said:

‘The UK government’s Spending Review did not deliver for Wales and this Budget is delivered in that context. While there are tough choices ahead, we have been able to provide funding that will allow Wales to rise to the challenges we face, grounded in the distinctively Welsh values of environmental, social and economic justice.’

Internet link: GOV.WALES