The Equality Act 2010 replaces all previous equality legislation, including the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. The Equality Act covers age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity. These are now called ‘protected characteristics’.
Continue readingThe High Income Child Benefit charge applies to a taxpayer who has income over £50,000 in a tax year where either they or their partner, if they have one, are in receipt of Child Benefit for the year. We set out below the main points of the charge and illustrate some of the practical issues.
Continue readingThe position of director brings both rewards and responsibilities upon an individual. Whether you are appointed to the Board of the company you work for or you are involved in establishing a new business and take on the role of director you will feel a sense of achievement. However the office of director should not be accepted lightly. It carries with it a number of duties and responsibilities. We summarise these complex provisions below.
Continue readingWhen starting a new business, you will no doubt recognise the need for insurance. It can provide compensation and peace of mind should things go wrong but can also represent a significant cost. In this factsheet we consider the different types of insurance you need to consider.
Continue readingMany employers offer their staff an opportunity to save for their retirement through an occupational (or company) pension scheme. Those employees who join the scheme need to have confidence that the scheme is being well run. The role of pension scheme trustees is very important in ensuring that the scheme is run honestly and efficiently and in the best interests of the members.
Continue readingAll companies (except certain listed companies) are required to keep a register of people with significant control (PSC register) and, file relevant information at Companies House. This requirement is in addition to those in respect of existing registers. The requirement to keep a PSC register has the objective of increasing transparency over control and ownership of UK companies. However, this places additional obligations on companies, their officers and the people with significant control over them.
Continue readingThere are many reasons why you may need to calculate the value of your business. Here we consider the range of methods available as well as some of the factors to consider during the process. It is important to remember throughout that valuing a business is something of an art, albeit an art backed by science!
Continue readingRegulations which took effect from 1 October 2011 mean that workers supplied to a company, or to any other entity, by an agency will become entitled to receive pay and basic working conditions equivalent to any directly employed employees after a 12 week qualifying period.
Continue readingLocal amateur sports clubs may wish to register with HMRC as Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) and benefit from a range of tax reliefs including Gift Aid. This factsheet considers the tax benefits and the registration requirements that clubs have to satisfy.
Continue readingThere have been many changes to employment law and regulations in the last few years. A key area is the freedom or lack of freedom to dismiss an employee. An employee’s employment can be terminated at any time but unless the dismissal is fair the employer may be found guilty of unfair dismissal by an Employment Tribunal.
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