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The recent riots have left many small businesses dealing with damage and disruption.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Insurance Service has created some guidance to help businesses that have been affected.
The guide includes practical steps that businesses can take when experiencing or expecting problems.
It also encourages businesses to check their insurance coverage. All policies are different so it may be necessary to check with your broker to confirm what you are covered for.
The Riot Compensation Act 2016 covers what government compensation is available, but not all instances of damage or loss during a civil disturbance is covered. To check the government guidance on this, see here.
To review the FSB guidance, see: https://www.fsb.org.uk/resources-page/insurance-guidance-for-small-businesses-affected-by-the-riots.html
The June 'UK Report on Jobs' shows subdued business confidence driving a preference for short-term staff. Temporary staff billings rose at the steepest rate in over three years, while permanent staff appointments continued to decline, although at a much slower pace than in May.
HMRC have proposed a new criminal offence for making reckless, untrue statements or declarations about what's known as 'direct taxes' - Income Tax, National Insurance and the like. For Customs and Excise and VAT ('indirect taxes'), it is already possible to prosecute individuals who make untrue statements or submit incorrect documents either knowingly or recklessly, without the need to prove dishonesty. The penalties for such offences can be severe, including substantial fines and imprisonment. The direct tax regime does not currently contain an equivalent offence.
