7 days later....and time to reflect on the Autumn Budget!
Having consumed a lot of reports following the Chancellor's Announcement on 30th October, we've had chance to take a breath and consider how the various announcements might impact the owner-managed business ('OMB') community, the wider economy and the insolvency market.
The major announcement affecting most OMBs was the increase in employers' national insurance from 6.4.25. There was a double-whammy of a rate increase from 13.8% to 15% and a reduction in the earnings limit, meaning NIC will be paid 'earlier' than currently (employers will pay NIC on earnings above £5,000, reduced from £9,100). The additional costs may be softened slightly by an increase in the Employment Allowance (a reduction in the employer's NIC liability), from £5,000 to £10,500.
These coupled with the increase in the rate of the National Minimum Wage from 6.4.25 will add significant cost pressures to most OMBs.
The need for business owners to be 'all over' their cashflow projections only increases - the more aware and realistic a business owner is of the business's cash position puts them in a far stronger position to better manage the pressures.
These announcements may well provide the proverbial 'last straw' for some businesses. The impact on the local and wider national economy could be profound, with some business owners choosing to 'hang up their boots', either by selling, going down an insolvency route (either insolvent or solvent) or orchestrating some other form of restructuring.