by guest blogger, Nigel White. MD of Web2Market.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has recently released new guidelines for Cookie Compliance which affects UK website owners and is based on a new EU directive.

I wonder how many of us even know if cookies are used on our website(s)?

What does the law say?

Some of the points within the guidelines will mean as website owners, you will need to make changes to your website, to avoid the risk of prosecution.

I won’t go though all the guidelines here, you may well nod off, but the main point is that the responsibility for educating users about cookies and how they are used on your website has been devolved to.

This will include informing users about your and 3rd party cookies should your site be using them (e.g. Google Analytics).  This legislation is to be enforced from May 2012.  It is actually a legal requirement already but we are in a grace period.

Ashley Freidlein from Econsultancy summarises some key points in his article Cookie Compliance or you can read the full guidelines from the ICO here who you will see ask for cookie approval already.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small text file that a website may put onto the visitor’s computer to “mark” that visitor.

The website may want to mark the visitor for a variety of reasons.

Examples may be to track a user’s basket as they shop or a retain a user’s website preferences.

How are other people complying with the legislation?

For an example of compliance, you can look at the Information Commissioner’s Office website.  At the top of the page you will see the Cookie notice that they have constructed and installed.

How do you know if your site uses cookies?

It is not immediately obvious if a website uses cookies to work effectively.

Cookies are very frequently used for a variety of situations including, but not limited to, remembering a log-in password and managing a shopping basket. I would recommend carrying out a cookie audit to answer this question.

What should you do now?

To get on the right side of the law, you should find out what cookies are being used on your website by carrying out an audit. We can do that for you – I would estimate an hour’s work.  Once you know what cookies are on the site (if any), we can help you formulate a plan for informing the user of their purpose and possibly allowing the user to opt out.

If there are no cookies on your website, we will not charge for the audit! If you’re still confused about cookies, please call me for a nice explanation  If you would like to request an audit, please let me know.

Best Regards, Nigel White

01480 878510

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

If you found this post interesting/useful please share it with your social network and/or bookmark it.  Also, your comments are always valued and will help me to write new posts that are relevant to readers of this blog.

If you do not currently offer your employees a company pension scheme then you need to take heed of a new scheme announced by the coalition Government.

All employers

From October 2012, all employers, no matter how small, will have to enrol staff in the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST), unless they already offer a comparable pension scheme to their employees.

NEST

NEST is a scheme designed to give people more access to good quality pension savings, especially for those on low to middle incomes. The Government hopes that this will prompt people to start saving for their retirement, particularly with people now living longer with little or no savings.

Phased implementation

Each employer will be given a date from when the changes must be in place. The reform will be phased in over a four-year period to 2016, starting with larger firms and then working down through medium and then small and micro-employers. The size of an employer will be based on PAYE data.

A minimum contribution level will also be phased in gradually, with employers eventually contributing at least 3% of qualifying earnings by October 2017.

Eligibility

To be eligible for enrolment, staff must work in the UK, be at least 22 and under state pension age and not already be in a suitable pension scheme. They will have to earn at least £7,475 a year, which will be the threshold for paying income tax from April 2011.

Transferable and may be used by multiple-employers

Friendly, approachable, reliable professionals

The advantage of NEST is that it can travel with a person from job to job, with more than one employer being able to contribute to a member’s retirement savings pot at the same time.

If you are an employer or considering employing someone, then George Hay can advise on a wide range of pension and tax issues to help ensure you are fully prepared for the changes.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

How good are your I.T. skills?

If you have not yet completed your Tax Return for the year ended 5 April 2010 they may need to be fairly good as HM Revenue and Customs  are encouraging taxpayers to file online.  If you continue to use paper Returns, the usual 31 January timeline is substantially reduced to 31 October 2010.

Not filed your Tax Return online before?

If you have not filed Tax Returns online in previous years, you will need to register with HM Revenue and Customs beforehand.  As this will take at least a week to process immediate action is required to meet the fast approaching deadline.

You will need to visit the website of HM Revenue and Customs on www.hmrc.gov.uk and select ‘Self assessment’ from ‘Do it online’. This will guide you through the process of creating a user name and password.

You will also need to have some personal details, including your Unique Tax Reference and National Insurance number or Post Code to hand.

Once you have done this you will be sent a personal activation Pin through the post, from the Government Gateway. With this you should be able to complete the registration process and to be able to file the Return online.

Need assistance?

Most people find the filing process relatively straightforward and there is help available on the website itself. There is also an online demonstrator showing how the service works and provides various specific examples. To see this go to www.hmrc.gov.uk/demo

Watch out: Not everyone is able to file online…

It must be pointed out that there are a few people who will not be able to use the online service due to some of the supplementary pages not being available on the internet site and, of course, if you do not have access to the internet you also have the problem of what you should do. The only answer is to contact ourselves as soon as possible and we will do our best to submit your Return in time.

Time

As emphasised above, for everyone who still has a Tax Return outstanding, the problem is time.  Can you do everything in time and stay focused on your business?

Why not contact George Hay Chartered Accountants for peace of mind?

Disclaimer: This article is for general guidance only.  All taxation planning should only be undertaken after appropriate professional advice.  George Hay Chartered Accountants are registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.