Business Update May 2006

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Buying a franchise Buying a franchise gives you the opportunity to capitalise on an established brand. "Franchising is a business relationship between someone with a proven idea [the franchisor] and someone else ...Company cars and tax This year's Budget brought reforms aimed at encouraging businesses to take a more environmentally-friendly approach to transport. The Government has introduced a new system of road tax, Vehicle ...Q&A: Stating your case to the bank Ross Keaney of Bank of Scotland Business Banking (HBOS), talks to Georgina Harris about the best way to approach banks for money.What do I need to know before I start? RK: "Before the meeting ...Homeworking Under current employment law, employers are obliged to 'seriously consider' requests for flexible working from employees with children under the age of six or employees with children with ...Capital allowances Businesses can claim a type of tax relief, known as capital allowances, against some business purchases and investments. In practice, claiming a capital allowance means that you set off a proportion ...10 ways to... Promote a new offer No matter how good your new product or service is, it won't do as well as you deserve unless you promote it properly. Try these road-tested techniques. Your key customers are the most likely to ...New factsheet on how long to keep employee records The retention of records is a complex area, and businesses need to stay informed of all the relevant legislation and its implications. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has ...Revised guidance on the definition of disability Disputes concerning whether an employee should be regarded as a person with disabilities can be difficult to resolve, with the statutory definition of 'disability' often conflicting with evidence ...Keep your 'send to a friend' facilities legal Businesses with a 'send to a friend' facility on their website should consider adding the right words to the page to avoid breaking the law. A Help Note on Advertising Virals, issued recently by ...Case law: contracts by email A recent case has highlighted the need for businesses to be vigilant when concluding contracts by email. In this case, an email containing the offer of a personal guarantee of £25,000 was ...Case law: contract of employment implied for agency worker Businesses that use agency workers or independent contractors, with a view to reducing their employment obligations, need to review the terms on which they do so, following a recent Court of Appeal ...Major changes to inheritance tax treatment of trusts Any business person that has invested, or is planning to invest, funds in an 'accumulation and maintenance' (A&M) or 'interest in possession' (IIP) trust, or whose will provides that one be set up, ...New Patent Office mediation service Intellectual property (IP) disputes cost time and money, so ...Launch of public sector contracts website Small businesses aiming to target more public sector work can now check for public sector contracts worth up to £100,000 that are available for tender, using the new government website ...Book temporary workers online Businesses that need short-term staff to cope with peaks of activity will welcome the new initiative, backed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, called 'Slivers-of-Time'. The scheme ...Is this your problem? I need to make sure my business is properly insured... While the business insurance you need by law is usually fairly minimal, it can pay to have extra protection in a crisis. But choosing from the ...Why homeworking is good for my business and my employees THE SOLUTION: "The business was set up in 1994 and we now employ 55 staff. We've always offered flexible working, including the opportunity of homeworking for employees who need it. It's good ...