Hot Business News Today

Hot Business News Today

MPs give taxman six weeks to sort out Covid payments for freelancers

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
MPs have given HMRC six weeks to come up with solutions for freelancers and others excluded from receiving Covid financial support.
In its report, the influential Public Accounts Committee has asked the taxman to explain why 1.6m freelancers alone have been excluded from Covid help, let alone the 3m excluded overall.
MPs blamed “quirks in the tax system” making groups of workers, including freelancers and the self-employed, ineligible for furlough payments.
>See also: Thousands of self-employed mothers miss out on COVID-19 SEISS payments
Meg Hillier MP, chair of the PAC, said: “As public spending balloons to unprecedented levels in response to the pandemic, out-of-date tax systems are one of the barriers to getting help to a significant of struggling taxpayers who should be entitled to support.”
The PAC MPs are just one group calling for the chancellor to give financial support to freelancers excluded from Covid support.
Meanwhile, former Brexit secretary David Davis has written to chancellor Rishi Sunak asking him to ensure that the newly self-employed are included in the final found of Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants.
This could see more than half a million freelancers qualifying for emergency Covid financial support after all. This is because

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Hot Business News Today

How to optimise cash flow with cashless payments

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Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
Cash flow is the lifeblood of enterprise. Plenty of small businesses go to the wall each year, despite being fundamentally strong, because without having a view of how much money they have for payroll, inventory and long-term growth it’s difficult to determine how much money is needed to safeguard their business.
Boosting cash flow, not just sales
It doesn’t matter whether your products and services are in demand if the money from sales arrives too late to pay for business-related costs. This is a balancing act that many businesses struggle to achieve.
The good news is there are several ways to control cash leaving your business, while ensuring money comes in thick and fast. They include leasing big-ticket equipment, negotiating better deals with suppliers, and creating an efficient system to crunch your numbers.
For businesses that get paid through invoices, there are strategies to speed up payment times and ensure your customers are solvent and reliable.
But what about businesses that take payment at point of sale – is there a way to ensure payments hit your bank account in good time?
Upping your cash flow game with Square
Firstly, you need a payment platform with a positive reputation in

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Can I make my employees get the Covid-19 vaccine?

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
As the Covid-19 vaccine gets rolled out to more vulnerable groups across the country, employers may be starting to think about reintroducing their staff to the workplace after almost a year of furlough, homeworking or getting by under tough conditions.
One of the questions that’s sprung up is whether they can make it mandatory to get the Covid jab.
The short answer is that no, you can’t force staff to get immunised in most cases.
Strongly recommending that your staff have the vaccine is reasonable enough but be aware that some of your employees may not want to get it for health reasons, religious reasons or because they’re pregnant. Others have trust issues with large pharmaceutical companies or are hesitant due to the rapid development of the vaccine.
Terminating their employment would be viewed as discriminatory and they could take you to court for unfair dismissal.
Sarah Calderwood, a human resources and employment lawyer at Slater Heelis, said: “Under current health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to protect the health of employees, anyone on their premises and anyone else affected by the business.
“Existing vaccination guidelines state that if a risk assessment finds a risk of exposure

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