Covid-19 Business query

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Also the local council owes my business (ergo me) 2 grand that I'm never likely to see. I'm rather philosophical about it because it's money owed for furniture delivered to foster kids, homeless people and domestic violence families so more deserving than me. As it turns out you could now say I've been paid in a roundabout sort of way so mustn't grumble.
 
How come?


The Council's sub contractor system is very fragmented. On the website it has in big letters, no order number, no payment. If I get a call at 10pm from a Social worker needing beds at 9am the next morning for a emergency placed family the chances of the admin department getting authorisation and preparing the order is zero. If the family is placed outside the borough it can take upwards of 3 months for me to receive my order number. Due to the high stress levels social workers come and go and sometimes I don't get my order number at all and if there is no paper trail on the council side I just simply don't get paid.

It has gone on for years and years but on the overall scheme of things I'm still well in profit. I am perfectly within my rights to refuse any job without the order number but choose not to. I factor in the non payments into what I charge. Since lockdown I have done 3 jobs for the council all with no order numbers to the tune of about a grand. They may or may not sort it when the admin department opens back up and I may or may not be paid.

But 3 families got beds and I've shown the council that my business can still operate under bad circumstances so all good (and tax deductible if not !!!)
 
But in reply to the OP. I'd personally would take the third and be grateful but play on it in the future with the other business. Subletting and business rate relief is a real potential minefield and best left alone !
 
But in reply to the OP. I'd personally would take the third and be grateful but play on it in the future with the other business. Subletting and business rate relief is a real potential minefield and best left alone !

That's what I'd do as well while also looking around to keep other options open should should the relationship fail.
 
The treasury always had an issue with the self employed.

Too many people use it as a way of avoiding and evading tax.

HMRC would have much liked everyone to be on PAYE...

Rishi Sunak mentioned it when announcing the package for the self-employed.... he said that self-employment will need to looked at in the future to ensure that everyone pays fair tax.

Government departments have form re tarring everybody with the 'bad actor' brush. Hope they are a little more circumspect with the self employed who are genuinely that and not a tax ruse. (Once more tax avoiders/evaders make it difficult for the genuine - no excuse to get it wrong though).
 
The Council's sub contractor system is very fragmented. On the website it has in big letters, no order number, no payment.

Classic warmnig by an organisation that needs work done and expedited befiore it is capable of issuing paperwork.

We've had that from prime contractors. What do you do? In some cases by the time they raise their own paperwork the project's completion deadline will be weeks past. I would say that 50% of the work I've done in the last 20 years has been started 'at risk' because of this basic failing.
 
Government departments have form re tarring everybody with the 'bad actor' brush. Hope they are a little more circumspect with the self employed who are genuinely that and not a tax ruse. (Once more tax avoiders/evaders make it difficult for the genuine - no excuse to get it wrong though).

Clean up the tax system and you get rid of the incentive to play the system. At the moment the playing field isn't level.

So if you have somebody who has an income of X it doesn't matter how thay obtained it - that income is taxed the same as somebody who received the same - whether it be employment income, profits from a business, dividends, benefits, savings interest, or a pension.

So combine everything - everything subject to the same allowances and then the same tiers after that.
 
Clean up the tax system and you get rid of the incentive to play the system. At the moment the playing field isn't level.

So if you have somebody who has an income of X it doesn't matter how thay obtained it - that income is taxed the same as somebody who received the same - whether it be employment income, profits from a business, dividends, benefits, savings interest, or a pension.

So combine everything - everything subject to the same allowances and then the same tiers after that.

I assume the inevitable ‘cashless society’ will create a level playing field for all self employed Who will have no choice in paying due (and fair) taxes?
 
I appreciate this may come across as selfish to some members but the longer this has gone on/is going on the more the panic and lockdown has affected me and my family massively (I know of no-one personally who has died and know of only one person who has had it) - I’ve gone from frustration to outright anger; anger that the £10k grant hasn’t touched the sides of what is hurtling past a six figure loss to me personally; anger that my children have had their academic lives irrevocably affected; anger that the financial after-effects of the government financial packages are going to greatly affect my children’s future (and has already had a massive impact on my eldest’s).

My octogenarian grandparents made the decision about a week ago to come out of hiding and go about their daily business - still observing “social distancing” though - because, in their own words “I’d rather the Lord take us than suffer anymore of not being able to see our family”.

The tone of the (Guardian!) article below will be the first of many to realise that Sweden’s response was right.

 
Very good question about Sweden, the effects of this "bail out" are going to be felt for many years (decades) to come.
Biggest problem we would likely have here is that a lot of people just can't do what they are told.
On the night of the close down our local was bursting at the seams (so I'm told) with beer being sold cheap!

I feel your pain, as a rate paying business being asked (or told rather by Ms Surgeon) to close whilst still paying rates and everything else that goes with it sticks in my throat.

Chap in one of the smaller units close by has had has £10k and continues to work (artificial turf/gardening) and has been busier than usual as lots of folks at home wanting work done.

I was so angered the other day I tweeted our government along the lines of "stay at home stay safe, go shopping very good chance of getting the virus".
I'm all in favour of the shops being open and there is no doubt they did a good job to start with but are now just operating a free for all.
Some businesses are being really punished whilst others are thriving and its the ones that are being punished that for many it is simply not fair and time to take more of a sensible approach.

When all this is done with and VAT goes up, then the Small Business Rates Relief is scrapped either in part or in full just wait for the moans and groans from all these businesses.

There is no doubt now that folk are becoming a lot more relaxed for exactly the reason your grandparents have given.
 
I appreciate this may come across as selfish to some members but the longer this has gone on/is going on the more the panic and lockdown has affected me and my family massively (I know of no-one personally who has died and know of only one person who has had it) - I’ve gone from frustration to outright anger; anger that the £10k grant hasn’t touched the sides of what is hurtling past a six figure loss to me personally; anger that my children have had their academic lives irrevocably affected; anger that the financial after-effects of the government financial packages are going to greatly affect my children’s future (and has already had a massive impact on my eldest’s).

My octogenarian grandparents made the decision about a week ago to come out of hiding and go about their daily business - still observing “social distancing” though - because, in their own words “I’d rather the Lord take us than suffer anymore of not being able to see our family”.

The tone of the (Guardian!) article below will be the first of many to realise that Sweden’s response was right.


I am sorry to hear this.

It was always going to be a tough one, with a huge disparity in how people are affected.

On one hand you have the self-employed and small business owners who are massively affected.

Then you have people who work in aviation and hospitality, whose jobs won't be coming back any time soon.

Next you have furloughed employees, who have to make do with a 20% pay cut, and an uncertainty regarding their job post-furlough.

On the other hand you have public sector employees, who are largely unaffected, and whose jobs are secure.

Then there are those who are well-off, have savings and can easily weather the storm.

We are all in the same boat, but some of us landed on the sunny side of the deck whole others ended-up in steerage.

I hope things work out for you and your family.
 
I am sorry to hear this.

It was always going to be a tough one, with a huge disparity in how people are affected.

On one hand you have the self-employed and small business owners who are massively affected.

Then you have people who work in aviation and hospitality, whose jobs won't be coming back any time soon.

Next you have furloughed employees, who have to make do with a 20% pay cut, and an uncertainty regarding their job post-furlough.

On the other hand you have public sector employees, who are largely unaffected, and whose jobs are secure.

Then there are those who are well-off, have savings and can easily weather the storm.

We are all in the same boat, but some of us landed on the sunny side of the deck whole others ended-up in steerage.

I hope things work out for you and your family.
Thanks Mark.

I’m in a WhatsApp group of some of my old school friends and there is a virtual line between two sets; those who are employees either still working or those who are sat at home getting pissed while getting paid 80% of their wage and the other half is self employed; a good friend of mine’s business is currently loosing circa £50k a week *A WEEK*!! He’s remarkably sanguine though, says he likes a challenge... 🤔
 
I appreciate this may come across as selfish to some members but the longer this has gone on/is going on the more the panic and lockdown has affected me and my family massively (I know of no-one personally who has died and know of only one person who has had it) - I’ve gone from frustration to outright anger; anger that the £10k grant hasn’t touched the sides of what is hurtling past a six figure loss to me personally; anger that my children have had their academic lives irrevocably affected; anger that the financial after-effects of the government financial packages are going to greatly affect my children’s future (and has already had a massive impact on my eldest’s).

My octogenarian grandparents made the decision about a week ago to come out of hiding and go about their daily business - still observing “social distancing” though - because, in their own words “I’d rather the Lord take us than suffer anymore of not being able to see our family”.

The tone of the (Guardian!) article below will be the first of many to realise that Sweden’s response was right.

I've been saying all along that Scotland is much more similar to Sweden in terms of overall population , and population density than we are to England - so what works for Sweden very much ought to have worked for us ; with the sole proviso of restricting movements across our land border .
 
Thanks Mark.

I’m in a WhatsApp group of some of my old school friends and there is a virtual line between two sets; those who are employees either still working or those who are sat at home getting pissed while getting paid 80% of their wage and the other half is self employed; a good friend of mine’s business is currently loosing circa £50k a week *A WEEK*!! He’s remarkably sanguine though, says he likes a challenge... 🤔

Markjay sums it up well. Tough times, but if you and family are all above ground and breathing, you’re doing OK. Imagine the many in your position who have lost/are going to lose they father, mother, daughter, son, grandparents, friends, colleagues etc. I am very lucky as a key worker, still have my job and wage, but at risk of infection. We have lost my step dads mum back end of March (elderly), and a colleague last week to the virus, 57 years old, no other conditions and fit and well, keen cyclist. Lasted 2 weeks in hospital. Scary.
If your pal has been earning £2.6 million a year for a while, he should be ok.
If you have a roof over your head , health and family, you are wealthy.
Stay strong, it’ll be reet.
 

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