Smarter Accounting Christmas Blog

This will be our last blog of 2020 (unless there are any significant financial measures announced in the next week!), and what a year it has been! We are sure you, like us, are planning and preparing for Christmas. Our thoughts go out to all businesses who have suffered and struggled to survive this year. Through our ‘Shop Smarter Buy Local’ campaign we encourage everyone to go out and spend money locally. This Christmas more than ever, we can all help local retailers and traders to make the most of the shortened Christmas season, and this could make a massive difference to our local economy. Why not forget that online order and go out and see what is in our local shops.

As a replacement for the Christmas Party each member of the Smarter Team has been given £50 to go out and spend locally. Some went out early and have spent money with various local traders, including Shopdeadgorgeous, Boka, Face Electrical, Sandford Cider, and Victoria’s. Others still have money to spend, so if you are a trader you may see one of the team soon!

Onto the important update news. Please refer to our previous blogs for more detailed information:

• Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) / Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)
  • Pleased to say that we have heard form many businesses who have successfully applied for both grants, which are proving to be a great help. Even if you work from home, but are impacted, the ARG may be available to you. Refer to our previous blogs for details
  • As we mentioned in the last blog, now that the Devon locality is in tier 2, the Government provides funds to District Councils to support businesses. This is not quite as it seems, and it appears that each Council can decide itself how to use these funds to best support businesses. Some councils seem to be paying out the ARG for the tier 2 time, but others are saying that schemes are coming in January 2021. Consult your Council website for more information
• Christmas Grant for ‘wet led pubs’ – The Prime Minister announced earlier in the month that the Government is providing a £1,000 Christmas Grant to ‘wet led pubs’ in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas. This is in addition to other sums, and we now understand that District Councils will administer these grants. Those Councils that are showing this grant are all currently saying that they are awaiting further details from the Government. The Torbay site suggests that they will contact applicable businesses direct
• Smarter Accounting Christmas Period Arrangements – As is normal for us, the Smarter Accounting Offices will close at some point on Christmas Eve (normally around lunchtime) and remain closed for the Christmas Period. The Offices will re-open on Monday 4 January 2021.

The deadline for the filing of 2019/20 self-assessment tax returns is still 31 January 2021. Currently 2019/20 figures are not being used in any of the grant calculation methods, however, it is possible this could change. Therefore, we recommend that if you have not yet brought in your records that you do so as a matter of urgency.

The Smarter Accounting Offices will continue to be staffed but will not be open for face to face meetings. We can always make other arrangements for video conferencing, telephone calls and at times garden meetings if required. If you are dropping off or collecting records via the office, please notify us in advance and wear a facemask.

Please be aware that we are reviewing our policy regards COVID 19 on, at least, a weekly basis.

We provide more regular updates via Facebook. Therefore, if you want the latest news then like our Facebook page >

We wish all of you a very merry Christmas and we desperately hope that 2021 is a better year for everyone!

Best wishes and stay safe