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HMRC has launched nearly 13,000 investigations into alleged abuse of the government’s coronavirus (COVID-19) financial support schemes.
A freedom of information request revealed that, up to the end of March 2021, HMRC opened 12,828 investigations into alleged cases of fraud.
Commenting on the matter, a spokesperson for HMRC said: ‘It is vital we support businesses to recover by ensuring a level playing field, so the majority are not undercut by the few who tried to cheat the system. We are taking tough action to tackle fraudulent behaviour. We have now opened more than 12,000 inquiries into claimants we suspect may have kept more than they were entitled to. We have also begun a handful of criminal investigations.’ We will continue to open cases as the Income Support Scheme winds down and after the Scheme has ended. To find out how we can help you:
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With less than a year to go until the plastic packaging tax is introduced a survey by Veolia found that 83% of businesses asked were not aware of the tax
The survey released after a Treasury technical consultation on the tax closed, found that most of the businesses asked, 84%, were in support of the tax. The study, run in partnership with YouGov, surveyed 507 businesses and found that the two biggest drivers for acting more sustainably in business are government mandate, 30%, and environmental conscience, 48%. First announced alongside the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy in 2018 the plastic packaging tax will come into force on 1 April 2022 and between 2022 to 2026 the tax is expected to raise £670m for the Treasury. The tax will place a £200 per tonne levy on producers or importers of plastic packaging if they do not include 30% recycled content. Plastic covered by the tax includes bioplastics, including biodegradable, compostable, and oxo-degradable plastics. The tax will not be chargeable on plastic packaging which has 30% or more recycled plastic content, or where the packaging is made of multiple materials of which plastic is not proportionately the heaviest when measured by weight. This includes importers of packaging which already contain goods, such as plastic bottles filled with drinks, and where the imported packaging already contains other goods as the tax only applies to the plastic packaging itself. According to an Imperial College London report, if all plastics were recycled then the UK could avoid contributing 61% of emissions and save 30 to 150m tonnes of carbon annually. Tim Duret, director of sustainable technology, Veolia UK and Ireland said: ‘The plastics packaging tax is removing the economic burden of acting more sustainably and levelling the playing field for businesses. ‘In order to continue this momentum, we need to escalate the tax and roll it out across all types of plastics like construction, cars, furniture, and electric goods. ‘It is essential that we continue pairing our actions with the backing of policy. 84% of businesses we spoke to agreed and support the incremental increase to the plastic packaging tax.’ Certain exemptions will apply to the tax and these include plastics used in licensed human medicine, transport packaging to import goods into the UK, and plastics used in aircraft, ship or railway stores for international journeys as these are not released into the UK. There will also be an exemption for businesses that manufacture and/or import less than 10 metric tons of plastic packaging in a 12-month period. The tax is expected to have a ‘significant effect’ on businesses with the government estimating that around 20,000 manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging will be affected. Helen Bird, strategic technical manager for plastics at WRAP, said: ‘The end market for recycled plastic is central to circularity and it’s positive to see that ahead of implementation, the plastics tax has positively impacted on demand. However, challenges remain. For some packaging it is practical to reach higher levels of recycled content, while for others, the roll-out of technological developments will be required to include any. ‘While we continue to export more than half of the UK’s plastic packaging waste, many businesses are struggling to secure enough recycled material to meet targets such as the UK Plastics Pact and tax obligations. We must continue to work together to drive investment to overcome these challenges and act more sustainably.’ To find out how we can help you: HMRC is reminding parents and carers they have until 31 August 2021 to confirm whether their teenagers are staying in full-time education or training beyond 16.
Last week, teenagers across the UK received their GSCE or Scottish National Certificate results and many are now considering their future. If they decide to continue their full-time education or training, parents or carers will be eligible to continue receiving child benefit payments for their child. Child benefit is paid at £21.15 a week for the first child and £14 for each additional child. HMRC has sent reminder letters to families receiving child benefit for their child in the last year of school or home education. If their child is staying in education beyond age 16, parents or carers must notify HMRC by the end of August, or their child benefit will be stopped. It is quick and easy to update child benefit records via gov.uk. Alternatively, parents or carers can return the 297b form sent to them by HMRC. Child benefit is paid to eligible parents or carers who are responsible for a child under 16, or under 20 if they are in full-time non-advanced education or approved training. Parents or carers receiving child benefit and who also have an income over £50,000 (or their partner does), may have to pay the high-income child benefit charge via an annual self-assessment tax return. From 30 November 2021, HMRC will stop making payments of child benefit, guardians’ allowance and tax credits, into Post Office card accounts. HMRC is reminding any child benefit and tax credits customers who use this account to receive their payments, that they will need to notify HMRC of their new bank, building society or credit union account details. The HMRC helpline is available on 0345 300 3900 or bank account information can be updated via taxpayers’ personal tax account. To find out how we can help you: The Government could increase National Insurance contributions (NICs) by 1% for both employers and employees, a report has claimed.
The Times said senior ministers have agreed to increase NICs to put an extra £10 billion into social care, to fund long-term reform and reduce NHS waiting times. Most employers currently pay NICs at a rate of 13.8%, while most employees pay NICs at 12% on their earnings. The move would go against a Conservative party manifesto pledge not to raise NIC rates. Dismayed at the possible tax hike while many firms are still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "A lot of business owners have had the worst 16 months of their professional lives. "Many firms are now struggling with staff being pinged, emergency loans and late payments. "NICs essentially serve as a jobs tax, making it harder for them to create opportunities. "To hike them as the furlough scheme and wider support measures end would stop our economic recovery in its tracks before it's even started." Any move could potentially take effect from April 2022. To find out how we can help you: More start-ups were created in the first six months of 2021, compared to the number of businesses that closed over the same period.
Between Apriland June 2021, 105,455 businesses closed, compared to the 73,580 that closed during the same period in 2020. The ONS said the unusually low amount of business closures in Q2 2020 was a result of the unprecedented amount of support given to businesses at the start of the pandemic. The number of businesses that closed in Q2 2021 was still higher than pre-pandemic levels, as businesses struggled to trade amid lockdown restrictions. On the other hand, 136,765 start-ups were created in Q1 2021 (up 16% year-on-year), followed by 96,895 in Q2 2021 (up 25% on Q2 2020). The number of start-ups in Q1 2021 outstripped the number of closed businesses by 25,260, although a further 8,560 firms went out of business in Q2 2021. This figure could be poised to increase further as Government support, such as the furlough scheme, ends on 30 September 2021. To find out how we can help you: The Government has named 191 employers who have underpaid workers £2.1 million between 2011 and 2018, a list that includes "major household names".
Named employers have since been fined an additional £3.2m for failing to pay over 34,000 employees at least the minimum wage. Business minister Paul Scully said: "Employers that short-change workers won't get off lightly". The Government said not all underpayments were intentional, but highlighted it is the responsibility of all employers to abide by the law. Employers underpaid workers in the following ways:
Bryan Sanderson, chair of the Low Pay Commission, said: "These are very difficult times for all workers, particularly those on low pay who are often undertaking critical tasks in a variety of key sectors including care." "The minimum wage provides a crucial level of support and compliance is essential for the benefit of both the recipients and our society as a whole." To find out how we can help you: |
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