Business News Articles

Firms urged to use ‘time to pay’
Small businesses that are struggling to meet outstanding tax bills due to unforeseen circumstances may be able to take advantage of a government scheme which allows them to defer payment. HM Revenue & Customs 'time to pay' scheme allows companies to defer tax payments so that the money can be invested in their company. "It's the small, self-employed, limited companies that use the time to pa... more

Staff working through illness
More than 50% of British workers are working through illness rather than calling in sick over fears that they will lose their job, according to research conducted by HireScores.com. The research also found that that many British workers are too nervous or busy to take a full lunch break with 20% rarely taking a lunch break, 23% seldom taking their full break and 14% revealing they don't have ti... more

Interest rates held at 0.5%
Interest rates have been held at 0.5% for the seventh month in succession by the Bank of England. The current rate of 0.5% is the lowest in the bank's history, and it was widely expected that the rate would remain unchanged. The Bank also said that it will continue with its programme of injecting £175bn in the economy through its quantative easing (QE) initiative. "It is as yet early day... more

Royal Mail workers vote for strike action
Small business owners have been warned that Royal Mail postal workers have voted to take strike action over job security and working conditions. Postal workers voted three to one in favour of strike action, with 61,623 out of a total of 80,830 workers who voted saying they wanted to strike. There have already been a series of regional strikes around the country in recent weeks that have caus... more

SMEs face ‘supplier nightmare’
Small companies in the UK are struggling to manage multiple IT and telecoms contracts, according to research conducted by Telecoms firm Opal. The data reveals that just over 50% have in excess of four technology and telecoms equipment and services vendors with a fifth of SME's admitting that dealing with these suppliers distracts them from "core business responsibilities." Just under half sa... more

Tories announce plan to cut red tape
Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke has announced plans to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses. At the Conservative party conference.Mr Clarke has stated the the Party's intention to introduce a powerful new 'star chamber', which will enforce a stringent 'one in - one out' requirement where any new law must include cuts in old laws, which would produce a net 5% reduction in the regulato... more

Job appointments rise again
The number of job appointments has risen in September for the second month in succession, but the job market is still "fragile", according to a report issued by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). Both permanent and temporary job appointment increased in September. The index for permanent staff placements in September was 58 and 55 for temporary staff placements - any r... more

Consumer confidence highest for a year
Consumer confidence in September rose to its highest level since April last year, according to data released by Nationwide. The Building society's monthly consumer confidence index rose by six points in September to 71, taking it to 24 points higher than it was this time last year. The survey also revealed that 39% of respondents think that the economy will have significantly picked up in si... more

2,500 new IT start-ups ‘by 2013’
Nearly 80,000 jobs will be created in the UK over the next four years as thousands of start-up technology companies are set up, according to Microsoft. The computer giant has estimated that the IT market will drive the creation of nearly 2,5000 small businesses by 2013. "I am enthusiastic about the possibilities for the future, for business at large and for information technology as a propel... more

Tories reveal tax break for start-ups
Business groups have cautiously welcomed a new Conservative policy that would see a plan for a National Insurance (NI) tax holiday for new business created in the first two years of a Tory government. The tax break on employers' NI contributions would apply to the first ten people recruited by a new firm in the first two years of a new Conservative government. "For prospective employers, as ... more