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Are you ready for the VAT rate rise?

It is just a year since the Government rushed through, in a matter of days, a reduction in the VAT rate to 15%. We were told that this would stimulate the economy – whether it did or not is one for the political commentators – but the thirteen month temporary reduction is now almost at an end and we must prepare ourselves for a return to 17.5% VAT on 1 January 2010.

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Give your business a ‘cost healthcheck’

A recent study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development concluded that making job cuts should be the last resort in the current economic downturn, after revealing that the cost of laying off an employee could be more than £16,000.

Against this another study revealed that 69% of Financial Directors feel under pressure from board colleagues to find more ways to cut costs. With Britain now officially in recession, how does a business keep costs in check to maintain a healthy bottom line without necessarily making redundancies?

Green today gone tomorrow

It’s a special occasion and you’ve decided to spend your hard-earned cash on a hot air balloon ride for you and your true love. As you float through the sky without a care in the world, you feel calm, entirely protected by the glorified wicker basket which holds you aloft. It’s a picture of romantic bliss, complete with chocolates, strawberries and a bottle of Dom Pérignon chilling in a bucket for later. But whatever you do, don’t look down!