COA Solutions – Business Accounting Software

What do you think when I say open source? Is it quirky, innovative software that is produced by geeks in the bedroom and supported by an honest group of collaborative free-thinkers?

The facts are straightforward and unavoidable: the modern reliance of business and consumers on technology means the amount of information we produce continues to increase.

Do you know what makes me sad about the revelation that Dave Hartnett – permanent secretary for tax at HMRC – is the civil servant who holds the record for being treated to corporate hospitality over the last year (107 times we are told)? It’s not that he had the time to go out twice a week as well as help run HMRC, but that I’ve never been to an employer event that he has also been at to hear at first hand the concerns of the payroll profession who act as his army of unpaid tax collectors.

We now know that one of the key factors in the debacle around tax codes at the start of the tax year was the design of the new National Insurance and PAYE System (NPS) and its over-reliance on works numbers. Every time the system spots a variation in a works number it erroneously assumes that the person has a second job with the same employer – hence the proliferation of BR tax codes.

Yet again we see HMRC reacting to criticism of its contact centres by providing help for the agent community with the introduction of a priority line for SA queries – for those of you lucky enough to be an agent it’s 0845 366 7855.

Does anyone out there feel its time that the balance got redressed a little when government departments make a mistake? We heard last week that HMRC had ‘inadvertently’ sent out tax credit notices with other claimants’ personal details attached as the pages had been collated in the wrong order.

A recession brings everything into focus. Cash – that might previously have been directed to a range of initiatives – is hoarded for the proverbial rainy day.

When money is tight, discretional spend takes a back seat. Rather than splash their cash on marketing or innovation programmes, businesses are keen to concentrate on operational expenditure.

It wasn’t so long ago that outsourcing was considered a dirty word; now, it’s a business norm.

Just a decade ago, organisations used to think very carefully before moving from a core workforce to external expertise, both on-shore and offshore.

Put simply, enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the building blocks for your business – a system that integrates technology operations in a single environment.

Since the early 1990s, organisations have used ERP to control key activities, such as sales, billing and resource management. Organisations, both small and large, still use and rely on ERP.

Banks returning to profit and rising house prices can be seen as significant signs of a possible economic upturn.

However, now is not the time for complacency; positive signs are no excuse for a lack of attention to detail. Businesses that take time to heave a huge sigh of relief will see fast-moving rivals quickly pass their organisation.