Haulage company charged with loan fraud

An interesting case has seen a haulage company based in the West Midlands have their operator licence revoked. This followed a public inquiry into the company by the traffic commissioner for the West Midlands.

The traffic commissioner found that almost all the company’s financial resources had been provided by a £50,000 Bounce Back loan in May 2020. The Bounce Back Loans scheme was launched in May 2020 to provide financial support to businesses across the UK that were losing revenue, and seeing their cashflow disrupted, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme allowed qualifying small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 with no fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months.

However, the company in question had a turnover that was far below the £200,000 necessary to qualify for such a loan – the maximum permissible being 25% of turnover or £50,000, whichever is the lower.

There were also issues with the company’s bank statements that were provided as evidence of financial standing. The company also had a very poor maintenance record and numerous tachograph infringements. 

More Posts

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

Send Us A Message