COVID-19 scam offers fake business grants

Business owners are being warned about a spike in bogus emails offering fake coronavirus grants. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said fraudsters are sending emails claiming to be from the Government. One bogus email seen by the group offers the...

Employers ask a third of furloughed staff to work

One in three furloughed workers have been asked to carry on working while their employer receives funds under the coronavirus job retention scheme. The furlough scheme allows employers to place workers on leave of at least three weeks while saving on monthly salaries...

SMEs cite labour costs as barrier to growth

Four in ten small firms in the UK cite labour costs as a primary barrier to business growth, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The group urged the Government to introduce several new measures to help small firms manage costs without having to cut...

Treasury may consider temporary cut to VAT

Speculation is mounting that the UK could follow Germany by reducing the standard rate of VAT in next month's emergency fiscal announcement. On 4 June 2020, Germany slashed its standard rate of VAT from 19% to 16% from 1 July 2020 until 31 December 2020. At the same...

UK economy fell by a fifth in April

The UK's economy experienced the largest monthly contraction on record in April 2020, shrinking by 20.4%. The sharp fall in GDP came as the UK spent its first full month in lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the...