Subescribe to our regular news feed for the latest news and opinions for entrepreneurs. http://www.stmworldwide.com Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:29:47 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.stmworldwide.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.stmworldwide.com Subescribe to our regular news feed for the latest news and opinions for entrepreneurs. http://www.stmworldwide.com/2010.03/Business-Inspector-–-on-a-TV-near-you-soon.html One certainly can't seem to accuse HMRC of a lack of initiative in its attempts to maximize tax receipts. With the treasury losing an estimated £6billion a year to poor record keeping, so keen are they to impress upon businesses the need keep their books in order and maintain better records that they are sponsoring a new reality TV show 'The Business Inspector' to the tune of £370,000. Made by Optomen Television, makers of 'Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares', the new four-part television series will be broadcast weekly on Channel Five at 8.00pm from 10 March 2010. Though HMRC is sponsoring the series, it does not feature in the programme and Five retains full editorial control. Stephen Banyard, Business Customer Unit Director at HMRC clarified that all activity adheres to the Cabinet Office sponsorship guidelines and, as with all government communications activity, is subject to strict propriety guidance. News - 2010.03 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:56:32 +0100 http://www.stmworldwide.com/2010.03/Tax-Policy-and-its-contribution-to-the-recession.html The 2010 Brussels Tax Forum takes place this year on 1 and 2 March. It promises to be a fascinating event. Hosted in Brussels by the EU Commissioner responsible for Taxation and Customs Union the annual conference gathers many eminent policy makers, experts and stakeholders as well as members of the general public from all over the world and meets to discuss the pressing tax issues of the day. The topic for this year's event is 'Tax Policies For A Post-Crisis World' with the focus on lessons to be learned from the global financial meltdown for tax policy, how best reform can be applied in the current context, and which reforms are viable. News - 2010.03 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:46:03 +0100 http://www.stmworldwide.com/2010.02/How-to-free-up-precious-capital.html It's hyper competitive out there at the moment. Profits are thin on the ground and cash is in short supply. Over 52% of small businesses in the UK suffered falls in profits in 2009. With the banks reluctant to lend it's important that businesses squeeze every last ounce of cash out of their system. Liquidity allows your organisation to invest, develop and move forward. Making sales is tough and these days getting paid is even tougher. A recent survey by The Federation of Small Businesses reported that (rather unsurprisingly), it's big businesses that continue to stall with 34% of private sector payments being made late. Less expected was the news that UK central Government (31%), Government agencies (30%), EU institutions (30%), NHS (29%) and local authorities (25%), despite promises to the contrary, all put the pressure on small business through late payments. With belts set to tighten significantly over the next couple of years, late payment will become more and more of an issue. News - 2010.02 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:24:59 +0100 http://www.stmworldwide.com/2010.02/Raising-the-spectre-of-the-dreaded-credit-downgrade.html The temperature is starting to rise in the war or words between all three major political parties as the forthcoming UK election draws closer. The subject at the heart of the debate over the last couple of weeks (and likely to remain there) is the state of the nation’s finances – more specifically how to handle the £178 billion debt. Only last week The Governor of the Bank of England estimated that the British economy had shrunk by a full 10 per cent. The result of which equates to annual lost tax revenue of around £140 billion. News - 2010.02 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:59:03 +0100