Today's businesses are facing tough times and the most
successful know what help is available and make use of it.
That help is at hand for businesses in the West Midlands next month
when HM Revenue & Customs brings a free Business Advice Open
Day (BAOD) at Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham on Wednesday,
16 September 2009.
Whether you're new to business or well established, finding
customers, meeting your liabilities and getting to grips with tax
and cash flow can be a real challenge. The BAOD brings together the
expertise of a wide range of organisations eager to provide
practical, free advice under one roof.
HMRC will be offering businesses practical advice and offering
information on its time saving and business support initiatives.
Information on the Business Payment Support Service, which
can allow businesses to delay tax payments during difficult times,
and its quick and easy online services, will be available.
There will also be seminars explaining the basics of VAT and what
you need to do if you're self employed.
Partner organisations such as the Environment Agency, Age
Positive, Jobcentre Plus and others will be at the event to advise
on environmental legislation, age discrimination, health and safety
and more. And while seminar places should be booked to
guarantee a place, you don't need to book to visit the exhibition
and can call in as you wish.
Roger Lovell, Business Liaison Team manager said: "It's
inevitable that some people will find tax issues daunting, or be
worried about meeting their liabilities during today's tough times.
This event allows us to bring our advice directly into the
heart of the West Midlands and offer practical assistance where it
is needed.
"HMRC runs a number of schemes to make tax as hassle free as
possible, and engages with our customers. And our attitude
has always been to assist businesses in short term difficulty so
that we can help keep viable businesses afloat. Our partner
organisations will also be on hand to explain their services and
how they can help small and medium sized enterprises."
A recent review commissioned by the department for Business,
Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) considered the information
services provided by Government to small and medium sized
enterprises. The Anderson Review - published in January 2009
- praised HMRC's BAODs saying: 'Businesses do not have a lot of
time to gain information about regulations and these Open Days
represent an easily accessible way for them to do so locally.'
Last year, more than 10,000 people attended a BAOD. You
don't need to make an appointment for the exhibition, but booking
for seminars - which can be found on our web site - is advisable.
Among the exhibitors are:
- Age Positive
- Better Regulation Executive
- Business Link
- Environment Agency
- Health and Safety Executive
- HM Government
- HM Revenue & Customs
- Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys
- Jobcentre Plus
- NetRegs
- Prime
- Intellectual Property Office
The event takes place on Wednesday, 16 September 2009, 9am to
5pm at Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham,
For further information about HMRC's range of Business Advice
Open Days, please see our website at
www.businesslink.gov.uk/advicedays send an email to
open.days@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk, or telephone us on 0121 697
4065.