I’ve finally joined Twitter, which you should also be able to see from the feed on the right.  So, I’ve had a bit of fun setting that up (no, really, I have).  I wish I’d done it sooner!

There is also a twitter feed for the HappyAccountant Blog at @HappyAcc

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As part of the Budget, it has been announced that the Corporation Tax rates will change from 1 April 2011:

Main rate of Corporation Tax will fall to 27% (from 28%)

Small Companies Rate of Corporation Tax will fall to 20% (from 21%)

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It’s been announced that the standard VAT rate will increase from 17.5% to 20% from 4 January 2011.

There are special rules for – among others - retail, services that span the date of change, continuous supply and extra care will need to be taken for those using cash accounting.

Click here for HMRC information on the change.

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On the 1 January 2010, the VAT rate reverts to 17.5%

If you are on the Flat Rate Scheme for VAT, look up your percentage here.

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There are a number of changes coming into effect on 1 October 2009, as a result of the Companies Act 2006, some of the main ones are listed below:

• Deadline for filing accounts at Companies house is now 9 months after year end
• Stricter rules on Company Names.
• Director may file a service address (which may be the same as their residential address or the registered office) which will be on the public record rather than their residential address.
• Introduction of a Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL)
• Introduction of a Statement of Capital
• Changes to some of the forms.

For further information, visit the Companies House website

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From 1 December 2008, the standard rate of VAT will be 15%

If you are on the Flat Rate Scheme, remember that your percentage changes too.

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From Monday 1 December 2008, the VAT rate will drop to 15% and remain at this level until 31 December 2009, when it will revert back to 17.5%

The new VAT fraction is 3/23.

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While updating my bloglines button, I stumbled across a website by an accountant from outside the UK.  Nothing unusual so far apart from their content is almost entirely copied from my company’s old website, which is also still live.

Now, I don’t mean that he’s just borrowed the odd bit here and there.  I mean they have copied every page verbatim only pausing to subsitute a different name and address.

There is something surreal about seeing your own content copied entirely on a website on a different continent and I would be flattered by this ultimate compliment, where it not for the fact that…

• I spent long hours writing that website content.
• I’m not sure thye even read it properly before he copied it, as some of the content only applies to the UK.

All of this lead me to the question of proving copyright, particularly on the internet.  A quick internet search led me to this useful post, it’s from a year ago but still relevent.  http://vadirectory.net/blog/2007/03/17/help-someone-has-copied-my-website/  I’m grateful especially for their link to http://www.archive.org/web/web.php which is an archive of the internet and in my case, proves that my website was in place in 2007, while the “clone” is not even catalogued yet.

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What do accountants actually do?  Well, accountants are everywhere.  Even on YouTube!
This is for any student who may be reading this – although, caution is needed, as the clip is American some content is not relevent to the UK.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBjuDBQn81M&hl=en&fs=1]

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