April 2010 Newsletter
Nick Belton writes…
The past 12 months have been financially tough for most of us, but we hope we’re all now over the worst of it.
The recent announcement of a General Election in May, couple with the statements confirming the end of recession and increasing growth anticipated in 2010 and 2011 give some cause for optimism.
One of the few good things about recession is that it makes businesses focus on cost control, internal processes and client/customer service in order to stay competitive, and we’ve been working hard on these aspects here at Beltons in order to deliver better value to you, our clients.
This newsletter details some of the important changes we’ve made in order to try and achieve this aim, so please take the time to have a read.
Best wishes for a more prosperous 2010,
Nick Belton FCCA, Managing Director, Beltons
Beltons switch to online filing – now complete!
Both HM Revenue & Customs and Companies House have been moving from paper to electronic filing of documents for several years and they’re now introducing legislation compelling certain types of document to be e-filed.
We at Beltons have been efiling personal Tax Returns, Employer PAYE end of year Returns, company Annual Returns and certain VAT Returns for some years now but over the last 2-3 months we’ve developed the capability to file all other documents electronically. These include: Corporation Tax Returns and Full Accounts, Abbreviated Accounts with Companies House, all VAT Returns, all Companies House Forms and employee Forms P45.
In this way we’re now able to:
- Reduce the volume of paperwork we need to send clients
- Reduce our costs where efiling replaces paper
- File documents faster by cutting out ‘snail mail’.
HMRC and Companies House have both increased penalties for late filing of documents, therefore it is more important than ever to increase the filing window by cutting out the need to post paperwork. We expect a number of clients will benefit because of these improvements.
Our charges – worth spreading your payments?
We’ve set up monthly standing order arrangements with a number of clients who have been keen to spread their payments over the course of a year, and are happy to discuss introducing similar arrangements for other clients. If you feel you would prefer this type of arrangement please contact Julie so we can get the ball rolling.
As with other small businesses we rely on our invoices being paid in a timely fashion and the majority of our bills are settled within 30 days. Our terms and conditions for bill payment form part of our Contract of Engagement and these terms can also be found on the reverse of our Invoices and Statements.
If you are unable to make payment of one of our Invoices please contact us as
soon as possible and we shall attempt to arrive at a mutually acceptable payment arrangement.
www.beltons.net - take a look!
We’re mindful that we’ve taken on a number of new clients over the past 12 months so wish to take this opportunity to alert them and existing clients who haven’t already registered to take a look at the Beltons website which provides access to free technical information, articles and features – updated on a daily basis.
We recommend that all our clients have a look out our newswires because they DO contain helpful and informative articles, and may draw your attention to issues you may not be aware of.
2009/10 donations - Charity begins at home…
For the last year we decided to focus on supporting local organisations and charities.
We support the good work done by the Steyning Area Minibus, which is a charity that provides a minibus service for the senior citizens of Steyning. All drivers and escorts are unpaid volunteers and they make over 400 trips each year, helping almost 3,000 passengers access local shops and facilities.
We also support SAFeR – Steyning Area First Responders, who are a medically trained team who are called to attend “Category A” emergency call cases in the Steyning area. They’re often there ahead of the Ambulance Service and provide vital first aid and treatment to members of the public.
Lastly, we also donate to the Steyning Chamber Of Trade Christmas Lights Appeal and sponsor pages in the Steyning Festival brochure. Both organisations do excellent work in laying on events over the course of the year that helps to bring the community together AND attracts people from outside to spend time and money in the town.
last updated April 13th 2010