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PRO INSTALLER NOVEMBER 2013
PRO BUSINESS
@proinstaller1
More new faces to
service success
Finance schemes ‘must
be simplified’
Northern Ireland-based manufacturer, Apeer doors, has announced
two further key appointments in the
latest phase of a recruitment drive
to service its booming order book.
Finance schemes
designed to help construction SMEs need
to be simplified if they
are to aid the economic recovery, warns the
Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in
response to a National
Audit Office (NAO) report that criticises the
Government for its confused approach towards
business funding.
tion SMEs because the
banks remain reluctant to
lend to them. Construction
companies need to able to
secure financing to grow
their business in line with
demand, which is why it is
so important to remove any
barriers that prevent this
from happening.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said:
“Initiatives such as Funding for Lending and the
recently launched Business
Bank, designed to make
financing more accessible
for small businesses, are
failing to help construc-
“Many small business
owners are confused about
which finance schemes they
can access. Unless the Government acts now to unify
and simplify the schemes
on offer, as well as stamp
out discrimination against
building firms applying for
They are production managers Irene Wilson (day shift) and Trevor Peacock (night
shift) who will both work at the company’s
Ballymena manufacturing facility.
The company revealed this summer that
it was gearing up to double production capacity following a surge of orders. And last
month Apeer MD, Asa McGillian, said he
would be taking on an additional 40 to 60
new staff over the next six months.
Irene Wilson has spent her working life in
production and joins Apeer after 12 years as
production manager for a PVC window and
door company. She said: “When the chance
came along to join Apeer as one of two new
production managers I couldn’t resist the
challenge given all the fresh ideas and busy
order book.”
Trevor Peacock has also earned his stripes
in managerial roles. More recent roles have
been as a team leader and shift manager.
Said Trevor, “It’s a very exciting time to be
joining the company and I look forward
to helping Apeer grow even stronger in
2014.”
Tel: 028 2563 2200 Fax: 028 2565 9334
email: [email protected]
www.apeer.co.uk
Data payment crackdown
A new crackdown on tax
evasion will make information on all credit and debit
card payments to UK businesses available to HMRC
for the first time.
Under new powers, HMRC can
now access information from the
UK’s merchant acquirers – the
companies that process card payment transactions – to find out
the number and value of transactions completed by a specific
trader.
No personal data identifying the
card owners or card numbers will
be obtained, but this data will be
used to ensure that traders have
correctly accounted for all taxes
‘This information
could reduce fraud
by over £50 million
per annum’
due – levelling the playing field
for all businesses.
Announced in the same week as
it launches a tax evasion advertising campaign, HMRC estimates
that this information could
reduce fraud by over £50 million
per annum.
Tax evasion and the hidden
economy cost the taxpayer £9
billion a year. The Government
has given HMRC nearly £1 billion
to tackle fraud and evasion, and
these new powers give HMRC
an extra tool to ensure a level
playing field between businesses,
and also reduce opportunities
for those who try and cheat the
system.
Legislation was introduced in
the Finance Act 2013 allowing
HMRC access to merchant acquirer data. The legislation came into
effect on 1 September 2013.
‘Unify & simplify’
the loans and overdrafts
they need to buy materials,
hire plant or take on extra
staff, then the opportunities
presented by the improving
economic conditions will be
lost.”
Inspiring the next
generation
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has chosen
Young Enterprise as its official
charity to inspire the next
generation of entrepreneurs
and to bridge the skills gap
between young people and
business.
Young Enterprise research finds
nine in 10 (92%) of senior UK managers would like enterprise education to be included in the national
curriculum to help reduce the toll of
one million young unemployed.
The FSB wants to see more schools
involved with local businesses and
focusing on enterprise education for
their students. The FSB is working
with Young Enterprise to help them
reach their target of being in 50 per
cent of all secondary schools by
2015.
‘Employability skills’
Together the FSB and Young Enterprise will help to make young people
more aware of the business world
and its valuable contribution to the
economy. Furthermore, the partnership aims to improve the employability skills of young people, something
businesses say is needed.
HOME BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS’ JUGGLE-STRUGGLE
After surveying its
members, iHubbub,
Britain’s fastest social
networking community
for home-business entrepreneurs, found that
most people starting
up a business struggle
with a number of vital
requirements for their
home office.
Generally 35% of the people surveyed said that they
worked from their spare
bedroom with 17% having
their own study. Up to 12%
worked in their bedroom,
all of which shows a fierce
determination to start up
their own business.
When asked what items
they felt are the most important for setting up a home
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