A Bill to provide for a public consultation on the introduction of a trading obligation on vehicle manufacturers to increase the proportion of electrically propelled light passenger vehicles sold and on the introduction of a road usage duty to reduce transport carbon emissions; and to provide for graduated rates of duty to apply to modified vehicles.
Link: Electric Vehicle Trading Scheme and Road Usage Duty (Consultation)
Source: Assent Information Services
Science Minister Chris Skidmore sets out his vision for how to level up research and development so that it benefits every corner of the UK at the opening of the Durham University Teaching and Learning Centre.
Link: Levelling up research and innovation right across the United Kingdom
Source: Assent Information Services
HMRC is urging more than 3 million customers who have not yet submitted their 2018 to 2019 Self Assessment tax return to do so before the 31 January deadline.
Link: Do your tax return before it drives you quackers, you’ve got one week to go!
Source: Assent Information Services
These Regulations bring into force the substantive provisions of the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 (c. 24), including Schedule 1 which introduces a new Chapter 4 (Parental Bereavement Leave) in Part 8 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (c. 18) and a new Part 12ZD (Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay) in the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (c. 4).
Link: The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 (Commencement) Regulations 2020
Source: Assent Information Services
These Regulations amend the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, insofar as those Regulations apply to Northern Ireland, to take account of the introduction of Early Conciliation by the Employment Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. These Regulations also make corresponding amendments to the Service Provision Change (Protection of Employment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006.
Link: The Transfer of Undertakings and Service Provision Change (Protection of Employment) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020
Source: Assent Information Services
Research published by digital business banking platform Tide has revealed that SMEs across the country are chasing more than £50bn worth of late payments.
Tide surveyed 1,000 CEOs, founders directors and senior management staff at SMEs in December to analyse their use of time during their working day.
The study found that the average UK SME is chasing five outstanding invoices at any one time, amounting to an average of £8,500 being owed and 1.5 hours per day – or almost 900,000 hours in total per day – being used.
People who are self-employed and working alone have an average of four outstanding invoices at any one time, amounting to almost £1,000. Businesses with between 10 and 50 employees have an average of 7.5 invoices outstanding, amounting to over £13,000 being owed.
Businesses based in London have the roughest ride in terms of late payments, with businesses in the capital claiming to have an average of seven invoices outstanding, with over two hours per day spent chasing.
London is closely followed by Scotland, with businesses having an average of six unpaid invoices, equating to an hour and a quarter per day spent asking for payment. Businesses in the South West have it best, waiting on three invoices to be paid.
Late payments are a significant issue for SMEs, with research from the Federation of Small Businesses in 2016 stating that 50,000 small businesses are put out of business annually by this behaviour, a £2.5bn hit to the UK economy.
Oliver Prill, CEO of Tide, said: “It has been known for a while now that late payments are crippling SMEs, with the government having tried a number of times to address the issue. It is however shocking to see exactly how much time SMEs, and particularly the self-employed, are wasting by having to chase clients to pay promptly.
Cash flow is crucial for SMEs, and just a few late payments can tip them into danger of becoming insolvent.”
In addition to wasting time chasing payments, decision makers and senior leaders at SMEs are spending 30% of their working day (12 hours per week) on unprofitable admin tasks, based on the average weekly hours worked. This is equal to almost two and a half hours each day (30%) – totalling 12 hours per week spent on tasks such as banking, expense management, book-keeping and accountancy.
83% say they regularly work outside of ‘normal’ office hours, with more than half (55%) working weekends and 2 in 5 working on bank holidays (40%).
The post UK SMEs chasing £50bn in late payments appeared first on UKTN (UK Tech News).
Link: UK SMEs chasing £50bn in late payments
Source: Assent Information Services
UK regulator again warns ad tech to clean up its act Digiday
Link: UK regulator again warns ad tech to clean up its act – Digiday
Source: Assent Information Services
EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee publishes letter to report on Brexit: the European Investment Bank
Link: UK infrastructure bank may be needed after Brexit
Source: Assent Information Services
A bill to make provision to amend the statutory limits for payment of invoices; make provision for a statutory time limit for resolving payment disputes; amend interest for late payments and penalties for persistent late payments and non-compliance; prohibit specified payment practices, on-boarding and pay-to-stay; require payments becoming due under public sector construction projects to be held in project bank accounts; amend the remit, role and powers of the Small Business Commissioner in regard to late payments; provide for a duty on auditors to publish late payment data; and for connected purposes
Link: Small Business Commissioner and Late Payments etc
Source: Assent Information Services
Today the Information Commissioner’s Office has published its final Age Appropriate Design Code – a set of 15 standards that online services should meet to protect children’s privacy.
Link: ICO publishes Code of Practice to protect children’s privacy online
Source: Assent Information Services
