During the period July 2018 to April 2022, some businesses were incorrectly charged a £25 minimum interest amount for the late payment of customs duty. Such businesses may be able to claim a refund of the difference between the £25 minimum charge and the actual amount of interest that should have been applied.

In addition, between July 2018 and April 2022, HMRC also used an incorrect interest rate which was higher by 0.5% to calculate late payment interest on customs debts.

You must email your request to custdebtrr.customspolicy@hmrc.gov.uk before 31st March 2023.

The staggered roll-out has been designed to avoid placing an excessive financial burden on employers. It gives them time to plan and budget for the additional costs. As an employer, you must keep proper records for each employee. The records must be maintained for four years and include information in relation to each employee who availed of sick leave.

The following information must be included in the records:

• The employee’s period of employment
• The dates of statutory sick leave in respect of each employee
• The rate of statutory sick leave payment in relation to each employee.

​An employer who fails to maintain accurate records may be convicted and subject to a fine of up to €2,500.

The following is a summary of upcoming pay and file dates:

Revenue has updated its detailed guidance on the TBESS including new guidance on registering and making claims. The guidance, available on the Revenue website and linked here, includes screenshots from the TBESS e-Registration portal and sample electricity and natural gas bills to assist businesses.
 
Eligible businesses can register for the TBESS, via the e-Registration facility in Revenue’s Online Service (ROS) which opened on Saturday 26th November.
 
Following registration, businesses will be able to submit claims under the scheme from 5 December. A claim portal in respect of TBESS will be available via the eRepayments system on ROS in early December.
 
To prepare for the claim stage, a business will need all the electricity and natural gas bills for the reference period of September 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022. A business will also require the current energy bill to make a claim.
 
Qualifying claims will be paid once the enabling legislation in Finance Bill 2022 has been signed into law. Eligible businesses that have successfully completed registration and made valid claims by the third week in December for September, October and November will be paid before the end of the year.

The franchise sector is an important contributor to the Irish economy both in terms of the employment it creates and the wealth it generates. The growth in the franchise sector in Ireland looks set to increase through new franchisees setting up their own businesses, through existing indigenous businesses using the franchise model for expansion and through new non-Irish franchises entering the market due to our strong domestic economy.

Business Format Franchising is a business method in which the franchisor (developer) grants to the franchisee (investor) the right to run a business selling a product or providing a service under the franchisor’s business format and identified by the franchisor’s trademark or brand. This includes a format for the conduct of the business, a management system for operating the business and a shared trade identity.

Franchising is a comprehensive business relationship whose four essential elements ensure a better success rate than starting a non-franchised business. These are: