by Nicky Smith | Jan 16, 2018 | Main News Feed
The main topics from January’s tax update include the news that The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that the first spring statement, where the government will respond to the forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), will be held on Tuesday 13 March.
If any business is unable to pay tax on time (because money due to the business has not been received) then HMRC must be contacted before the due date to ask for permission to pay late. HMRC will grant this if permission is sought BEFORE the due date.
Ahead of the reverse charge VAT – which will start in October 2019 – businesses should begin to focus on improving their cashflow control.
In 2017-18 Scottish taxpayers will pay the higher rate of tax (40%) when they earn £43,000 as opposed to £45,000 in the rest of the UK. HMRC is now trying to establish who Scottish taxpayers are and employers are asked to check and maintain a careful record of all changes of address for employees.
For more information, download the latest edition of the Joint Taxation Committee’s Newsline for January here.
by Nicky Smith | Jan 16, 2018 | Main News Feed
The collapse of Carillion is a significant event for the UK construction sector and some FIS members will be affected. Our partnership with law firm Womble Bond Dickinson provides access to free legal advice. Members should download and complete this form to allow maximum benefit from the advice session.
Womble Bond Dickinson has created a dedicated page on their website ‘Carillion Liquidation – how will it affect me?’ for Employers/Developers and those in the supply chain.
FIS has actively supported the Ten Minute Rule Bill which seeks to amend the 1996 Construction Act and ensure that retentions within construction are held in a third party trust scheme. The bill will receive a second reading on 27 April. Evidence of retentions abuse will add support to this bill, so please email davidfrise@thefis.org if you have anything, all evidence will remain confidential.
by Nicky Smith | Jan 10, 2018 | Main News Feed
Dame Judith Hackitt’s Interim Report, which was published during the week ending 23 December 2017, indicates that a major change to building regulations is coming soon. The new system for building regulations will be ‘output based’ meaning contractors and manufacturers will face tougher requirements to prove they have met the specification and regulations.
FIS believes this is quite clear and challenges industry to provide some of the solutions to compliance evidence and conformity itself; which we are already consulting with manufacturers suppliers and specialist contractors.
Our contributions to date are acknowledged in the report, through the umbrella organisations of the Construction Products Association and Build UK where we engage through the Industry Response Groups (IRG) as well as our direct contact with MHCLG where FIS will continue to submit its comments and contribute to the questions being raised. This is your chance to get your voice heard.
A formal response to the interim report will be submitted by the Construction Products Association on 17 January ahead of a summit meeting with Dame Judith Hackitt on 22 January. FIS will be finalising our comments to CPA by 16 January. Please ensure that we receive any comments by Monday 15 January to info@thefis.org using ‘Comments on the Dame Judith Hackitt Interim Report’ in the subject box.
A full copy of the report can be found by following this link: Independent report: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: interim report
by Nicky Smith | Jan 10, 2018 | Main News Feed
We are now accepting entries for the 2018 Scottish Awards; nominations are also sought for Apprentice of the Year. The awards were introduced in 2016 to demonstrate the quality of work and the range of projects that are carried out in Scotland. Entry is open to all FIS contractor members for projects completed between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017 in the following categories:
Interior Fit-Out
Partial Fit-Out
Drywall Construction
Plasterwork (general and heritage)
Suspended Ceilings
Partitioning
Judges’ Award (for projects which do not fit into the above categories)
Apprentice of the Year (Apprentice must be undertaking their training in Scotland)
Entries to be submitted via the website here. The closing date for all entries is 28 February 2018.
by Nicky Smith | Jan 8, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS members are invited to attend the Construction Products Association meeting with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to discuss the implications of Brexit on the future of the construction products regulation and standards. MHCLG is particularly interested to have face-to-face, roundtable discussions with SMEs.
Representatives from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) will likely also be attending. The meeting, to include presentations and ‘workshop-style’ roundtable discussions, will take place on Wednesday 14 February, 9 am to 1 pm at The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT. This represents an excellent opportunity for members to quiz government representatives on the future of the regulatory environment.
FIS members interested in attending should rsvp to mary.economidou@constructionproducts.org.uk copying in FIS technical director joecilia@thefis.org
by Nicky Smith | Jan 3, 2018 | Main News Feed
Survey respondents indicated that house building remained a key engine of growth, with residential work expanding for the sixteenth consecutive month in December. In contrast, latest data indicated a moderate fall in commercial construction, thereby continuing the downward trend seen since July. Civil engineering work stabilised during the latest survey period, which ended a three-month period of decline.
Duncan Brock, Director of Customer Relationships at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “The sector offered little in terms of comfort at the end of 2017, though the pace of new business picked up to its strongest level since May, and purchasing activity rose to its fastest rate in two years, supply chains were under increasing pressure from all sides. The housing sector was the strongest performer again and materials for residential building were in greater demand fuelling longer delivery times, shortages of key materials and sharper input cost rises.”
Download the full report here.
