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New £1bn support package announced

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak has announced a new £1bn support package for businesses most impacted by the highly transmissible Omicron variant that is sweeping across the UK. The biggest single measure is the re-introduction of one-off grants of up to £6,000 for businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors (in England) many of whom have seen their seasonal trade hugely impacted by this latest COVID-19 variant. It is thought that some 200,000 businesses will be eligible for these new grants.

The main support measures announced on 21 December 2021 are as follows:

  • Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises.
  • £102 million top-up for discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support other businesses outside the hospitality and leisure sectors.
  • Government will also cover the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for COVID-related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK. This applies to businesses with less than 250 employees for up to 2 weeks per employee. Firms will be eligible for the scheme from 21 December and will be able to make claims retrospectively from mid-January.
  • £30 million further funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund, enabling more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter.

The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive an additional £150m through the Barnett formula to help offer similar measures. This will be allocated with around £80 million going to the Scottish Government, £50 million for the Welsh Government and £25 million for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Source: HM Treasury Tue, 21 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0100

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Breaking even – checking the numbers

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 variable costs are 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)

Bereavement Support Payment

The amount of Bereavement Support Payment you can claim will depend on your relationship to the person who died and when you make your claim.

Your payments will be paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.

If you were married or in a registered civil partnership with the person who died

If you were receiving Child Benefit when your partner died (or did not get it but were entitled to it), you will get the higher rate.

This is made up of:

a first payment of £3,500;

Tax codes for employees

The P9X form is used to notify employers of the tax codes to use for employees. The latest version of the form has been published and shows the tax codes to use from 6 April 2023. The form states that the basic personal allowance for the tax year starting 6 April 2023 will, as expected, be £12,570 (£12,570 in 2022-23) and this means that the tax code for emergency use will remain at 1257L.

The basic rate limit will be £37,700 (£37,700 in 2022-23) except for those defined as Scottish taxpayers

Properties not let at commercial rates

There are special rules where a property is let at less than a commercial rate or isn’t let on commercial terms. These rules also apply if a property is occupied rent free or at less than a commercial rate, for example, a property is occupied by a family member at a reduced or nil rent.

In these circumstances, HMRC can take the view that unless the landlord charges a full market rent for a property and imposes normal market lease conditions, it is unlikely that the expenses of the property are

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