On 30th September 2017 the Criminal Finances Act comes into effect, a piece of legislation all UK recruitment agencies should have on their radar.
So what is the Criminal Finances Act?
Looking from a Recruitment Sector point of view, the main part of interest would be part 3: ‘Corporate offences of failure to prevent facilitation of tax evasion.’
This means as of 30th September 2017, businesses will be liable for the criminal acts of their employees and other associated persons who facilitate tax evasion whilst performing services for them.
Worryingly, liability applies even if senior managers and directors of the business had no awareness or involvement of such activities being carried out within their business.
Defence
Businesses will be expected to prove that they have procedures in place to prevent facilitation of tax evasion or depending on such events that it wasn’t reasonable for them to have such procedures. This of course is a concern as we near the implementation date of such legislation.
So what now?
Nasa recommend you understand the upcoming legislation and ensure recruitment staff are fully trained and up to date with legislation and the severity of consequences of falling outside of the legislation. The full legislation details are readily available online by visiting the gov.uk website.
We recommend a review of supplier’s including any Umbrella and Contractor Accountancy services, ensuring they only adhere to the highest of compliance standards. This may involve putting together a shortlist or PSL of approved suppliers for peace of mind.
For more information contact us on 0117 929 7683 or email us at sales@nasagroup.co.uk