Access Accounting - Blog

Get your priorities right, Mr Brown

Gordon Brown got something right this week when he announced at the Labour conference that he wants to raise CO2 targets from 60% to 80%.  Significant climate change could decrease GDP by double digit percentages and this is a threat to our economy as well as a potential cost to humanity. 

How safe is your money?

When I thought about contributing to this blog I guessed I might add something each week.  It would seem difficult to write something topical about a subject I was interested in which would be of relevance in our marketplace.  Yesterday, I was saying we shouldn’t worry about the media, no need to sharpen that razor just yet.  But here we are, not 24 hours since I wrote that entry and Lehman Brothers has disappeared – quite literally down the plug hole.  I just learned that AIG has now been propped up by the Federal Reserve and now HBOS is in urgent talks with Lloyds about a possible merger/takeover.

The economy: would it be best to just slash our wrists?

Because that is how I feel after listening to Radio 4 for any hour of any morning right now and yet, after I get out of the car and get into work it is quite clear that for most of our clients the opposite is true.  Yes, it’s tough.  Yes, if you are buying from Europe and selling here your margins have just gone down the toilet.  Your customers moan about you trying to increase prices whilst your suppliers (particularly, it seems to me, our French colleagues) adopt a ‘can’t understand what you are talking about’ attitude when it comes to discussing exchange differences – ‘you were the ones that decided not to join the Euro’ followed by the French shrug. OK, the French have great cheese and the wines remain better than the stuff from Kent but perhaps arguably not as good as those from down under! 

Is the Climate Change Bill unenforceable without agreed auditing standards?

The amended Climate Change Bill, which is currently going through the House of Commons, will mean quoted companies having to report on carbon emissions in their annual reports. If this is to go on the statute books as expected this summer, it raises the question “why now?”.

Software industry should provide more tools for environmental change

The launch of our new Accounting for Carbon Emissions functionality took place in London last week at Softworld, and while I was at the event I took time to walk around the show to see what our competitors were up to. I was surprised to see that none of them had any environmental messages and there wasn’t a single product on display that was aimed at providing environmentally related functionality.

Access Accounting seeks high-flyers to help drive ambitious growth plans

Following its continued business success Access Accounting has launched a campaign to search for outstanding talent to help drive its ambitious growth plans. The largest independent business and accounting software house in the UK is inviting high-flyers to a recruitment event on Tuesday 27th November at the Holiday Inn, Ransomes Europark in Ipswich from 6.30-8pm and 8-9.30pm.

Restriction by design – we must have been nuts

Growing our turnover every year since we started in 1991 has taken us from a small start-up company to the UK’s largest independent business and accounting software house in our sector. But success in turnover, profitability, and intellectual property is really a by-product of building a successful team and culture.

It's all part of the QA process

According to British Standard 7925 -1: 

"Testing is supposed to demonstrate that the software does what it is supposed to do as well as demonstrating that software does not do what it is not supposed to do." 

It is worth noting that testing can only show the presence of faults, it cannot prove that the software is 100% correct and it cannot prove that there are no faults.   Risk will reduce if subsequent re-work and re-testing takes place.

Software options to meet new CIS rules

When one poor contractor complained that he hadn’t heard anything about the new CIS rules, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Had his accountant not mentioned this to him? He or she should have been more on the ball if not – or get another accountant. After explaining what the new CIS was all about, I thought it might be helpful....

The countdown begins: new CIS only one month away

The countdown to the forthcoming CIS regulation changes is now well underway, with only a month to go until it is in place and contractors can register for on-line submission.

More than 250,000 contractors will be affected by the new legislation, which applies not only to those in the construction industry but also the wider business community. In fact any business which spends on average, £1m or more on construction will come under the clutches of the scheme. And with subsequent fines of up to £3,000 for inaccurate returns or not producing the monthly Sub-contractor Payment & Deduction Statement, this should be incentive in itself to make sure the data is correct.

Such automatic monthly penalties could turn out to be very costly indeed. The onus has been placed well and truly on the contractor, whom you can’t help but feel sorry for.

At Access Accounting we have received a number of calls about the £3,000 fine – being hit firmly in the pocket does make you sit up and listen. It has to be said that these penalties don’t come into place until October 2007 – there is a little breathing space. However, look how quickly the last 12 months have gone; it was last April when these changes were originally going to be put into place. Time waits for no man as they say…