The importance of Shareholder Agreements in family businesses
What is a Shareholders Agreement? A Shareholders Agreement is a contract made between all or some of the shareholders of a company, and usually the Company itself, in order to govern the relationship between the shareholders and to set out their rights and obligations. Why should my company have a Shareholders Agreement? When setting up…
Is NOW the time to restructure your Business?
Covid-19 is an unprecedented risk to health, but also to the economy and businesses. Understandably therefore many business owners are anxious about what the future holds. However, what we are already seeing is that many businesses are finding ways to adapt, to diversify, to thrive in these challenging times. It is said that ‘necessity is…
5 Top Tips for Disaster Planning for Business Owners
Given the current economic climate and issues arising due to Coronavirus, I thought it would be useful to give an overview of the kind of protection all business owners should have in place. I am not going to focus on the various reliefs and assistance being offered by the Government in light of the current…
IR35 Explained
IR35 legislation came into force as part of the Finance Act in April 2020. It was combined with the Income Tax Act 2003 and the Statutory Instrument Social Security Contributions Regulations 2020. This legislation is referred to as IR35. IR35 relates to anti-avoidance taxi legislation. The legislation tackles the issues of deemed or disguised employment. This…
Business Planning 2020
As 2019 draws to a close, we are not just seeing out the year, but also seeing out the decade. Looking back to where the economy was 10 years ago, we were in the midst of the recession. Fast forward 10 years and we still seem to face a period of political and economic uncertainty….
HMRC and TV: BBC Presenter Loses IR35 Appeal
The ongoing battle between HMRC and TV presenters: Another BBC presenter loses their IR35 appeal HMRC has once again won against a BBC presenter in their crack down on the IR35 rules. Many will remember the media frenzy earlier this year surrounding Lorraine Kelly’s tax appeal against HMRC. HMRC had brought a case against Lorraine…
The New IR35 Rules: What You Need To Know
What is IR35? IR35 refers to a set of legislation that aims to tackle the issue of ‘deemed (or disguised) employment’. This is where organisations hire workers on a self-employed basis, through an intermediary (often a limited company) rather than an employment contract, when in practice they are employees. Hiring workers in this way saved…
How Could a Community Interest Company Meet Your Enterprise Needs?
What is it? A community interest company (CIC) is a non-charitable limited company set up with the purpose of benefiting a community or pursuing a social purpose. This differs to a regular limited company which is set up with the purpose of making a profit for shareholders. They differ to charities as charities are considered…
GDPR: A Stark Warning
When the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on May 25, 2018, many businesses did not feel ready for the changes and there was panic about the enforcements that were going to ensue. 16 months on and we are now seeing the first ICO decisions made under the Data Protection Act 1998 and it…
Start Up Advice: Choosing A Business Name
How do I choose a business name? When choosing a business name it is important to consider what kind of business you are. A business name if successful can become a valuable asset; it can be included to balance sheets, mortgage to raise funds, and licensed to others to use it. Are you a creative…