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Red Tape

Pensioned off

Partnership firms should review their retirement age policies, lawyers warn.

Healthy scepticism

Employers are being urged to withdraw pre-employment health questionnaires, unless they are job specific, in order not to fall foul of new legislation. Lawyers point out that the Equality Act, which comes into force in October, will prohibit employers from asking candidates pre-employment health questions other than in limited circumstances, one of which is to check a candidate can perform an “intrinsic function” of the job – for instance heavy lifting.

Image conscious

It isn’t just by breaking the glass trying to photocopy your arse that you can land yourself in trouble with the office duplicator. Document destruction experts are warning of the potential for data loss caused by the failure to securely destroy the hard drives held inside multi-function photocopiers.

Penalty kicking

Employers and contractors who fail to pay their PAYE bills on time and in full face hefty penalties under a new system being operated by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, payroll advisors warn.

Bum notes

Entrepreneurs who sold their businesses before 22 June in transactions involving loan notes face paying tax on the gain at 15.6 per cent rather than ten per cent (assuming they had qualified for the capital gains tax entrepreneurs’ allowance).

Return to Sender

Business users of Royal Mail and Parcelforce could be eligible for VAT refunds that date back up to four years, following an HM Revenue and Customs ruling.

Pressure Point

A High Court decision to wind up a Merseyside company after it deliberately misled potential investors should send a clear message, investigators say.

Forget Me Not

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued a reminder to businesses affected by new online filing requirements for VAT returns.

Foul Play

Businesses are being warned that the advertisements and promotions they’re using to drum up business during the World Cup could be breaching intellectual property laws and put them at risk
of being sued.

Vet Bill

Businesses working with children and vulnerable adults must prepare now for a recruitment vetting scheme that comes into force later this year or risk paying fines of up to £5,000.

  • Fat camps

    Turning excess lard into dough? It’s like taking candy from a baby. EN heads to the fit farm and examines a bulging bottom line.

  • Angels with dirty faces

    EN visited the British Business Angels Association’s annual conference and found a sector torn between confidence and crisis.

  • Slick moves

    Are we emerging from recession into an energy crisis? Probably not, as EN discovers.

  • The unavoidable truth

    EN and Downtown in Business hosted a wide-ranging panel debate following June’s emergency Budget. This is what happened.

  • Day nurseries

    Making money out of nurseries should be child’s play. Shouldn’t it? EN examines the real bottom line.

Five Minutes With

Frank McKenna

Frank McKenna has never exactly been shy about being the public face of the Downtown in Business brand, which he founded in Liverpool in 2004 and now boasts operations in Preston and Manchester (the latter launched earlier this year). His weekly, “Thank Frank it’s Friday” email missives, “Frankie Says” blog and Tarantino-inspired advertisements are cases in point.

More Five Minute Interviews

Noel Dean reveals...

Betta Living’s boss reminds us a bit of TV’s David Dickinson. But was his best transaction the Real Deal? Stuart Anderson hastily conceals his Ikea loyalty card as Noel Dean reveals...

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