It’s been a heck of a week for me. I took my first sick day of the year with a godawful dose of the black death, cholera, flu ManFlu; just when we were gearing up for a major day of filming with clients on Friday. Never mind - all went well.
Besides, it’s that time of year when I get to properly take some time off; and stop rambling on about business and entrepreneurship; and get a bit fatter than I already am.
But not just yet – there are some tenuously Christmassy things about business I want to bring up first.
Firstly, I reckon you’ll be reading this on Monday December 7th – which is being dubbed “CyberMonday”. Apparently it’s the online shopper’s biggest day of the year; so if you’re running an online business I wish you the very best of luck. And if you’re a consumer, rightly keeping out of the cold and rain to do some of that Christmas shopping online, please be sure to buy from reputable names and not the many masquerading shysters out there who make online shopping an occasionally perilous experience.
Secondly, a plea from me to Messrs Brown and Darling. Can we please, please have an extension to the 15% VAT rate until the end of next year? I know you need the money, but we could really do with the help. Let me explain.
- Companies like mine have quite high margins. The difference between 15% and 17.5% tax for me is very little in real terms. But the sheer pain-in-the-butt of changing my accountancy and quote documentation is beyond belief. The cost of the last changeover was estimated to be in the tens of millions – all burdens that we as small businesses have to bear.
- Companies on lower margins really need the assistance. That’s why the rate was changed in the first place. Please don’t change it back just as we’re getting back on our feet.
- And January 1st is a bloody stupid time to do it! It’s a bank holiday! Are we all supposed to spend the first day of 2010 knee-deep in spreadsheets? Grrrrr!
- This will also completely distort the January Sales for retailers. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I might think that this was a ploy by the government to get good Christmas sales – as customers rush out to buy goods before the price at the till goes up again…
Apparently, according to a recent survey, 73% of people want the 15% rate extended. You can add my name to the list.
Filed under: current affairs, finance, retail | Tagged: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, online safety, online sales, online security, run a business, start a business, VAT, VAT change
