Business Support

The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was first introduced last Summer and paused in September 2022 so ministers could engage in a co-design process with business leaders and data experts – ensuring that the new regime built on the UK’s high standards for data protection and privacy, and seeks to ensure data adequacy while moving away from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach of European Union’s GDPR.

Data-driven trade generated 85% of the UK’s total service exports and contributed an estimated £259 billion for the economy in 2021.

The improved bill will:

• Introduce a simple, clear and business-friendly framework that will not be difficult or costly to implement – taking the best elements of GDPR and providing businesses with more flexibility about how they comply with the new data laws.
• Ensure our new regime maintains data adequacy with the EU, and wider international confidence in the UK’s comprehensive data protection standards.
• Further reduce the amount of paperwork organisations need to complete to demonstrate compliance.
• Support even more international trade without creating extra costs for businesses if they’re already compliant with current data regulation.
• Provide organisations with greater confidence about when they can process personal data without consent.
• Increase public and business confidence in AI technologies by clarifying the circumstances when robust safeguards apply to automated decision-making.

These data reforms are expected to unlock £4.7 billion in savings for the UK economy over the next 10-years and maintain the UK’s internationally renowned data protection standards so businesses can continue to trade freely with global partners, including the EU.

The ultimate financial objective of most trading companies is to convert their supply of goods and services into cash – deposits in their bank account.

However, when goods are sold on credit, and you give customers time to pay, there is a delay in the cash conversion process, and for a period of time your cash proceeds of sale stay in your customers bank account.

Credit control is the management of this process to ensure customers pay in accordance with your credit terms (30 days for example). Without effective credit control there would likely be a further delay, beyond your agreed credit terms, and the cumulative effect of these delays could cause you serious cash flow problems.

An effective way to manage credit control is to automate the issue of statements and follow up letters using your bookkeeping software. It should be possible to manage the process by setting up delivery of reminders to pay by email.

Please let us know if we can help with the set-up process.

Finally, manage the process. As well as meeting your sales and profits targets each month, be sure to include a review of your current days credit being taken by customers. If the days credit taken is higher than the days credit you have set, then action may be required to intervene and chase payment by more direct means.

Next week, 15 March, the Chancellor will deliver his first Spring Budget. It will provide an opportunity to cushion companies from the effects of the Corporation Tax (CT) increase to 25% and the withdrawal of the 130% Super-Deduction; both timed for the 1 April 2023.

Although any large-scale tax cuts may be off the table, the Chancellor may still be willing to provide companies with incentives to invest.

The Super-Deduction was introduced to encourage companies to invest in qualifying equipment before the 1 April 2023 increase in CT rates to 25%.

So, what incentives could we expect?

• The Chancellor could extend the 130% relief, thus offering corporate businesses an effective 32.5% tax relief (25% x 1.3). This would be a useful fiscal carrot to encourage capital investment from April 2023.
• He could extend the relief to cover rented, leased or second-hand goods.
• He could extend the relief to include non-corporate business owners and the self-employed.

Alternatively, he could simply increase the permanent Annual Investment Allowance above the present £1m.

The business community needs incentives to invest. Otherwise, there is a danger that firms may simply defer investment, waiting for better times, which, of course, would further reduce our competitive ability to match productivity advances by countries who are less concerned with this “wait and see” approach.

In previous newsfeeds we have described how you can calculate the level of turnover you need to create in order to meet all your costs whether they be fixed costs (rent, rates etc.,) or variable costs (goods you need to buy to convert into goods you sell).

For example, if your fixed costs are £50,000 per annum and your gross profit (the difference between your sales and direct costs) is 25% of your turnover, the annual turnover you need to breakeven will be £200,000. The formula is:

Annual fixed costs divided by 25 (the gross profit percentage) multiplied by 100.

If you have no variable costs, your breakeven turnover will be your fixed costs. And be sure to include your drawings/dividends/salary as part of the fixed costs.

Unfortunately, you will need to make this calculation each month to have any certainty that you have a realistic estimate of your breakeven turnover.

Over time, you could probably place more reliance on any underlying trend in the numbers you calculate.

The main factors that will change your breakeven calculations are increases or decreases in:

• The amount you pay for any direct costs, to purchase goods or labour to convert into the products you sell.
• The amount you pay for fixed costs – that do not tend to increase or decrease based sales volume. For example, premises costs, professional fees and admin support costs.

While inflation is high these costs will quickly escalate.

And what if you need to invest in your business? If you do not have retained funds to meet investment costs you may need to borrow to fund the investment. This will increase your costs (interest charges) and require that you produce enough retained profits, as a result of your investment and general trading, to meet lending repayments.

We can help. Call if you need help to consider your planning options. To find a way out of the present difficult trading conditions we may all need to do more than just breakeven.

Business rates are charged on most non-domestic premises, including most commercial properties such as shops, offices, pubs, warehouses and factories. Some properties are eligible for discounts from the local council on their business rates. This is called business rates relief. There are a number of reliefs available including small business rate relief, rural rate relief and charitable rate relief.

The non-domestic rating list sets out all rateable values for non-domestic properties in England and Wales. Local authorities use this list to help determine business rates.

A new press release from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) states the following:

A new non domestic rating list comes into effect on 1 April 2023. You can still let us know if the information about your property on this list isn’t correct. But the closure of the 2017 list means that there are only limited circumstances in which further amendments may be made to it. These are when:

• changes need to be made to the list following Checks submitted before 1 April 2023 (and any subsequent challenges and appeals);
• the VOA is correcting inaccuracies on the list (this can be done up to 31 March 2024). If the list is changed, then customers for those properties have the right to make a Check within six months of the change; and
• a customer wants to challenge the 2017 list on the grounds of a tribunal or court decision. They can do this so long as a Check has been made by 30 September 2023.

This means that you have up until 31 March 2023 to check that the factual information we hold about your property on this list is correct, and to let us know if it isn’t (this is known as making a Check case).

All business owners, but predominantly retailers, leisure and entertainment trades, will have seen their hard-won capital all but exhausted by the needs to meet fixed costs when income generation has been restricted or eliminated by lock-down directives during the early years of the COVID pandemic, and more recently by the downturn in global trade due to the war in Ukraine, inflation, rising interest rates and increases in energy costs.

In the face of these challenges what can beleaguered business owners do to protect their capital base and be in a position step back into the ring as and when consumers start to edge out of their front doors and start spending?

Here’s a few ideas for you to think about:

1. List all of your fixed costs, those that you have to pay even if you have no income coming in and cancel as many as you can that can be re-established when markets open up again. Obviously, many will be tied to contracts that cannot be broken. In which case:
2. Contact suppliers, landlords, service providers etc., and see if you can negotiate a moratorium on payments for a period, a reduction in payments or the cancellation of contracts.
3. When this work is done rework your business plan for the next year and speak to your bank or other sources to secure any cash required to meet the likely dips in cash resources.
4. Importantly, start to think about waking up your business when consumer interest in spending starts to increase demand for your goods or services.

And finally, speak to us. There is no substitute for sharing this planning process with your professional adviser. We know your business. We know how you have burned the midnight oil to develop your business and the problems you have overcome along the way. We can, and we want to help. Cal now so we can start to unravel your options.

The new business Energy Bills Discount Scheme will replace the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme which is coming to an end on 31 March 2023. The new scheme will offer support to eligible non-domestic energy customers, including UK businesses, the voluntary sector – such as charities – and the public sector – for example, schools and hospitals – from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

The new scheme has been designed to help support businesses over the next 12 months whilst at the same time limiting the taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets. A cap has been set at £5.5 billion based on estimated volumes.

Under the new scheme, eligible non-domestic customers who have a contract with a licensed energy supplier will see a unit discount of up to £6.97/MWh automatically applied to their gas bill with a price threshold of £107 per MWh and a unit discount of up to £19.61/MWh applied to their electricity bill with a price threshold of £302 per MWh. The relative discount will only be applied if wholesale prices are above the stated price thresholds.

The government has also confirmed that a substantially higher level of support will be provided to businesses in sectors identified as being the most energy and trade intensive – predominately manufacturing industries. These businesses will receive a gas and electricity bill discount based on a supported price which will be capped by a maximum unit discount of £40/MWh for gas with a price threshold of £99 per MWh and £89/MWh for electricity with a price threshold of £185 per MWh. This discount will only apply to 70% of energy volumes.

As with the original scheme, suppliers will automatically apply reductions to the bills of all eligible non-domestic customers.

Leaving politics to one side, how can we deal with the current pressures on businesses? Rising costs, reducing revenues as the cost-of-living issues impact activity, increasing taxes – Corporation Tax will include a main rate of 25% from the 1 April 2023 – and a background of continuing supply difficulties.

At this time of the year many of us are also required to make Self-Assessment tax payments.

According to Age UK, we are a nation of worriers who find it difficult to share our problems. These can range from financial concerns as well as other stress creating issues.

But top of the bill – over 50% of the population – are concerns over money problems.

We can help…

As well as keeping business owners up-to-date with their filing obligations we can also advise on a whole range of topics that are likely to play on the minds of entrepreneurs.

Our successes over many years, in helping clients, means that we have a wealth of experience that can be shared with you to have a positive impact on your business affairs.

Pick up the phone. Let’s discuss your options and see if we can help you resolve your difficulties; see if sharing your problems will open up new possibilities.

The government has published details of a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme which will replace the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme that comes to an end on 31 March 2023. The new scheme will offer support until 31 March 2024, to eligible non-domestic energy customers, including UK businesses, the voluntary sector, for example charities, and the public sector such as schools and hospitals.

Under the new scheme, eligible non-domestic customers who have a contract with a licensed energy supplier will see a unit discount of up to £6.97/MWh automatically applied to their gas bill and a unit discount of up to £19.61/MWh applied to their electricity bill, except for those benefitting from lower energy prices.

The government has also confirmed that a substantially higher level of support will be provided to businesses in sectors identified as being the most energy and trade intensive – predominately manufacturing industries. These businesses will receive a gas and electricity bill discount based on a supported price which will be capped by a maximum unit discount of £40.0/MWh for gas and £89.1/MWh for electricity.

The latest data has shown that wholesale gas prices are continuing to fall and there are some concerns that the falling prices are not being passed on to businesses fast enough by energy suppliers.
 

Inflation and recession are cruel task-masters.

If you provide goods or services that can be readily sourced from alternative suppliers, and at a lower cost, trying to beef-up your sales prices will likely result in lost income as your customers go elsewhere. If your costs are increasing this can only lead to lower profits.

If you sell luxury goods, there will likely be a reduction in demand as customers concentrate their expenditure on meeting rising fuel and food bills.

Business owners can react by reducing their own costs but there is a limit to the saving that can be made.

There is an argument to mothball business activity. i.e., reduce activity and hibernate until market conditions improve, although this is unlikely to prove a workable strategy for an extended period.

Businesses who supply goods or services with no competition, or for goods that have no ready substitutes, are in the best position as they can increase their prices to cover cost increases with little or no impact on sales.

During this period, all businesses would be wise to take control of cashflow and scale down or at least reconsider investment activity until market conditions become more buoyant.

If you are in business and really don’t know which way to turn, please call so we can talk over your options.