This is a temporary measure and there are two conditions that must be met in order for the purchases to be eligible for the relief:
• The equipment must be purchased for the single purpose of enabling the employee to work from home due to the coronavirus outbreak • Providing the equipment would have been exempt from income tax should it have been provided directly to the employee by, or on behalf of, the employer The measure will take effect from the day after the regulations come into force, but HMRC will not collect tax and NI contributions on any reimbursed payments made on or after 16 March 2020, as this was the date that the government encouraged companies to allow their staff to work from home. The government plans to lay the statutory instruments to update these charges shortly.
The announcement has been made outside of the standard fiscal process to allow employers and employees to manage their work from home arrangements at the earliest opportunity.
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Scottish Government announces an additional £40 million of support for key sectors 21 May 2020
On 20 May 2020, the Scottish Government announced that it will increase its Business Support Fund by £40 million, giving additional support to the key sectors of the Scottish economy.
It has been advised that the additional funding will be split between the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund, taking the funding up to £120 million (increased by £30 million) and to the Creative Tourism and Hospitality Enterprise Hardship Fund, with an increase of £10 million taking the maximum claim-back to £30 million. Applications for both funds closed on 18 May. Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, advised that the government has been listening to what businesses need, and is following on from what the First Minister announced earlier this month, in that the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund would double to £90 million to meet demand. The plan is to aid as many SMEs as possible in surviving the current climate, and to support this would a further £30 million would be added to this fund. She also noted that the government were aware of the pressures within the creative, tourism and hospitality sectors and have, therefore, increased those limits by £10 million.
Fiona Hyslop said:
“These funds are supporting businesses the length and breadth of Scotland and continue our commitment to ensure every penny of the additional business money that has come to Scotland is passed on to support our economy. Crucially, we are also focusing our efforts to help those who are not captured by the UK Government schemes.”
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Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Rebate Scheme launched 26 May 2020
HMRC have launched the Coronavirus rebate scheme for SME employers who have paid SSP due to coronavirus incapacity.
The Statutory Sick Pay Reclaim Scheme will be open to employers who had fewer than 250 employees at 28 February and also had an active PAYE scheme at that date.
The Coronavirus outbreak has introduced two new reasons, into the SSP regulations, for incapacity:
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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