The latest tax, employment, business and economic news affecting firms and individuals alike. Updated each day.
18 May 12
MPs have criticised the length of apprenticeship programmes after a report found a fifth of apprenticeships lasted for six months or less.
18 May 12
Prime Minister David Cameron has said the Government will refuse to back down on deficit reduction plans and pledged to boost credit for businesses and households, in a speech made yesterday on the UK's economy.
17 May 12
Companies failing to communicate with employees about their remuneration package, including salaries and benefits, are 'wasting' their money and failing to reap the benefits, research carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has claimed.
17 May 12
More than six million of the UKs over 50s will live on less than the minimum wage in retirement, a new survey has found.
16 May 12
Unemployment in the UK has fallen by 45,000 between January and March, taking the total of unemployed individuals in the UK to 2.63 million, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
16 May 12
Pressure on the Treasury to allow Northern Ireland the power to set its own rate of corporation tax is mounting, after the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said a lower rate could improve the country's economy 'overnight'.
15 May 12
Individuals receiving compensation for mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) are unaware they may be liable to pay tax on awarded payments, after HMRC clarified its position on PPI and taxation.
15 May 12
Rising energy costs and access to effective telecommunications, including broadband and mobile phone reception, have topped the polls as some of the most important infrastructure issues for small businesses, new research from the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has found.
14 May 12
HMRC has confirmed that more than three million tax refunds are to be sent out as of next week - two months earlier than previous years - due to an earlier review of the amount of tax paid for 2011/12 via the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system.
14 May 12
The long term downward trend in workplace sickness absence is stalling, according to a report, fuelling concerns that the Government should be doing more to reduce the cost of sickness to employers, taxpayers and the economy.
11 May 12
HMRC has come under fire over the release of new guidance for contractors and freelancers on the complex tax legislation IR35.
11 May 12
Business marketing budgets were revised up for the first quarter of 2012, marking a third successive quarter of increased spending, a survey by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has found.
10 May 12
The Queen's speech during the State Opening of Parliament marked the beginning of the Parliamentary session yesterday, and outlined the Government's proposed policies and legislation, many of which will impact on the UK's businesses.
10 May 12
More than two thirds of UK employees have little or no understanding of upcoming pension changes, despite auto-enrolment coming into force for many employees in October this year, a study by Aviva has found.
09 May 12
The deadlines for HMRC's latest tax campaigns for electricians and online traders are approaching.
