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PRO INSTALLER SEPTEMBER 2013
PRO NEWS
@proinstaller1
HOMEOWNERS ‘LOSING CONFIDENCE’
IN BRITISH TRADESMEN
Homeowners are losing confidence in British tradesmen, according to TrustMark, the government
endorsed quality mark for firms in the home repair, maintenance and improvement sector.
At first glance, new
research into public
perceptions of tradesmen commissioned by
TrustMark, indicates
that most people have
a good impression –
71% of respondents felt
their overall experience
of using a tradesman
was more positive than
negative.
‘professional’, ‘helpful’ and
‘trustworthy’.
But almost quarter say
they have had an overall
When given a list of good
and bad adjectives to describe tradesmen, the five
most frequently used words
were ‘skilled’, ‘hardworking’,
negative experience with
tradesmen, and more than
half of all respondents
(52.5%) felt their perception
of tradesmen had become
‘rogue traders
and criminals
masquerading
as tradesmen’
more negative because of
the ‘cowboy builder’ TV
programmes, which pursue
the worst rogue traders and
criminals masquerading as
tradesmen in the domestic
sector.
Liz Male, chairman of
TrustMark, said: “The appalling activities of rogue traders are tarnishing the reputation of British tradesmen,
and this must stop. The
government has committed
to help us extend the TrustMark scheme so that far
more good local firms can
get the TrustMark badge. We
will be working with these
firms, as well as government
and industry and consumer advice groups, to boost
customers’ confidence in the
many excellent tradesmen
in the sector.”
Key findings from TrustMark’s poll reveal:
• One in five people would
encourage friends or family to get a job in the sector
only if there was more recognition of good quality
and skilled tradesmen.
• 43% of people agreed
with the statement “Many
tradesmen do a good job –
there are some great firms
CONSTRUCTION
COMPANIES MISSING
OUT ON TAX BREAKS
Latest figures from HMRC show that the value of the tax breaks claimed by UK
companies investing in research and development has tripled in the last 10 years,
but Baker Tilly has warned that many construction companies may be missing out.
The latest figures for the financial
year ending 2012 show that there
were only 210 claims for R&D tax
relief by companies in the construction sector, with claims totalling
around £15m, just a tiny fraction
of the total £1.2bn claimed by UK
companies.
R&D tax credits are a tax relief designed
to encourage greater R&D spending and innovation. The credits were first introduced
in 2000. Since then, the available tax breaks
have become more generous and HMRC
has expanded the way it interprets and applies the rules in order to provide greater
stimulus for innovation in the economy.
While the perception might be that R&D
tax relief is for the manufacturing or science and tech sectors, any eligible company can deduct up to 225% of qualifying
expenditure when calculating their profit
for tax purposes.
Qualifying expenditure may include, for
example, investment in the development
of new materials and tools, or in process
improvements or new software. Costs associated with the design of heating systems
or energy saving equipment, or expenditure relating to mechanical engineering or
architectural design may also qualify.
Howard Freedman, Baker Tilly’s Head of
Real Estate and Construction said: “It’s surprising that there have been so few claims
for R&D tax credits in the construction sector. This may simply be because firms don’t
realise that they qualify for this type of
relief. Claims can even be backdated for up
to two years, so for construction firms facing cash f??rF?ff?7V?F?W2??F?W6R7G&?v?FV?VBF??W2?F??2&V?Vb6?&R?fV??R?( ??wwr?&?W'F????6??V????WBF?W&^( ??'WBSR?bV??R?6?6?BF?W?vW&R??@?6??f?FV?B&?WBF?R?WfV???b6??7V?W"&?FV7F????f??&?RF?F?V?v?V??F?W?V????G&FW6???F?v?&???F?V?"???W2??(
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