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  • Exclusive: Elon Musk’s X fails to deal with Russian disinformation, breaching EU rules, study says

    Exclusive: Elon Musk’s X fails to deal with Russian disinformation, breaching EU rules, study says

    Some 125 reports of Russian disinformation were reported to X, but only one was removed. The rest went largely ignored.

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    More than 100 pieces of content published on X from Russian state media and disinformation actors that fail to comply with European rules still appear on the social media platform despite being reported to X, according to a new report.
    The report commissioned by pan-European non-profit group WeMove Europe, which was shared exclusively with Euronews, found “125 clear sanction-violating posts” on the Elon Musk-owned platform.

    Some of the posts included programmes from the Russian state broadcaster Russia Today (RT), which has been banned by the European Union since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 
    In one instance, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs account on X shared an excerpt from a documentary produced by RT, which shared a false narrative about an Adolf Hitler collaborator who was “elevated to the rank of national hero by the Kyiv regime”. The post also provided a link to bypass sanctions and access the full film on Telegram.
    The researchers behind the paper had reported to X all the content deemed illegal under Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the bloc’s digital transparency rules. The report found that only 57 per cent of the reports of illegal content received acknowledgement receipts, which breaches the DSA.
    Among the 125 reports, only one post was removed by X. The company said that there was no violation of EU law.

    Related

    Elon Musk’s X says French probe into algorithm is ‘politically motivated’

    In some cases, X responded to the researchers’ complaints within two minutes, the report said, suggesting that automation is playing a big role in X’s content moderation.
    The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, launched a formal investigation into X this year for breaching the DSA and said it would finalise the investigation before the summer recess, which begins on July 25.
    However, the Financial Times reported last week that the Commission will miss this deadline as it aims to conclude trade talks with the United States.
    Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Euronews Next that it is continuing to investigate potential violations by X of the DSA’s illegal content rules.

    “The Commission is aware of these reports and is continuously assessing incoming information,” Regnier said.
    Earlier this month, the Commission told X it appeared to be in violation of other parts of the DSA, including “areas linked to dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers,” Regnier added.
    In January, French prosecutors also launched an investigation following allegations that X’s algorithm was being used for the purposes of foreign interference.
    The researchers filed the reports to X on July 8 and 9, 2025. While they were met with automatic replies in most cases that X would look into their complaints, in the majority of them, they did not hear back. 
    Euronews Next has also contacted X for comment about the report but did not receive a reply at the time of publication. 

    Russia’s online war

    Under the EU sanctions regime, it is prohibited to offer content hosting services for sanctioned entities, such as broadcasters or sanctioned individuals. 
    Russia has intensified its disinformation campaign in Europe since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, the researchers said.
    Along with official Russian government accounts spreading fake news, there were also accounts likely operated by the “Social Design Agency,” a Russian company known to produce Russia’s influence campaign “Operation Doppelgänger,” as well as anonymous users repeatedly posting such material.

    Related

    ‘Threat is ongoing’ as Russian Doppelganger operation continues on X and Meta despite EU probe

    “Overall, the volume indeed exploded [since the war]. It’s much more significant,” said Charles Terroille, a project and investigative research officer at the fact-checking group Science Feedback who worked on the paper. 
    “A lot of the posts that we flagged to X are for instance, documentaries, if you can call them that, so 40-minute videos hosted on X that are Russia Today showing, for example, how Ukraine deserved it all or how [President] Zelenskyy and all the government people and officials in Ukraine are just fans of Nazi figures and all these widely false and reported stories that Russia is propping,” he told Euronews Next.
    Terroille said another Russian method is to fabricate pages that look like well-known Western media outlets and spread them on X.
    He added that fake news about public health and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines are still running, among other topics, such as misinformation about the environment and are “absolutely weaponised” by Russia.
    For Taïme Smit Pellure, a digital campaigner at WeMove Europe who led the report, the most shocking part of the research was that the content is also translated into people’s home languages, such as French, and is “everywhere” on X.

    Related

    Does Ukraine’s first-in-Europe internet deal with Starlink mean more dependence on Elon Musk?

    She told Euronews Next that both the Commission and X should be acting faster and that her organisation has reached out to the Commission but it has not had a “positive response yet”.
    “We know they are working on this, we know they are, it’s not like they’re looking away completely, just taking their time because they want to do it right and we completely understand that,” she said.
    Another recommendation for the Commission is for European governments to work together in a more coordinated manner to address this issue, said Saman Nazari, lead researcher of civic campaign group Alliance4Europe, who also worked on the paper.
    “As long as we stay only working in our own little bubbles, we do not stand a chance against a multi-billion euro influence apparatus,” Nazari said.
    His recommendation for X is that “there is not that much nuance. It’s straight-up illegal content,” and that “it doesn’t take much time” to find such content and address it.
    “This is incredibly low-hanging fruit,” he added.
    Updated July 23: This story has been updated with comment from the European Commission.

  • Ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting: What employers need to know

    Ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting: What employers need to know

    Gender pay gap reporting for large employers was introduced in 2017. The Government’s view is that this has improved transparency and provided employers with important information about how to address inequalities.

    It intends to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting and is now consulting on how to do this.

    The consultation period ends on 10 June 2025.

    The aim is to adopt a similar reporting framework used for gender pay. Accordingly, many proposals will be familiar to large employers, that is, those with 250 or more employees. However, it is accepted that ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting will be more complex. This is because of the large number of ethnicities in the workforce and the fact that many organisations do not have much information about employee ethnicity.
    Most ethnic minority groups earn, on average, less than their white British peers, and disabled people have, on average, lower incomes than non-disabled people. Introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting will expose any pay gaps and enable organisations to consider why such pay gaps exist and how to tackle them.

    What does the consultation paper cover?

    Pay gap calculations

    As with gender pay gap reporting, it is proposed that employers would report on mean and median differences in average hourly pay and bonus pay, the percentage of employees receiving bonus pay and the percentage of employees in four equally-sized groups, ranked from highest to lowest hourly pay. Significantly, the Government also proposes to make it mandatory for employers to report on:

    The overall breakdown of their workforce by ethnicity and disability.
    The percentage of employees who did not disclose their personal data on their ethnicity and disability.

    Additional reporting requirements for public bodies

    The Government has asked whether employers should report ethnicity pay differences by grade or salary bands and recruitment, retention and progression data by ethnicity. It has also asked whether these requirements should extend to disability.

    Ethnicity data collection and calculations

    These are complex issues for the reasons mentioned above. Asking employees to report their own ethnicity is the best way to collect data, but the Government suggests there should be an option to “opt-out” of answering. Because some ethnic groups may be earning more than others, the Government is keen that employers show pay gap measures for as many ethnic groups as possible.
    However, there are data protection implications. To protect employees’ privacy, a minimum of 10 employees in any ethnic group is proposed, and employers might have to add some ethnic groups together to meet this threshold. A “binary classification” of two groups is proposed if an employer has smaller numbers of employees in different ethnic groups, for example, comparing white British employees with ethnic minority employees.

    Disability data collection and calculations

    The Government proposes taking a “binary approach” to measuring the disability pay gap by comparing the pay of disabled employees with that of non-disabled employees. The Equality Act 2010 definition of disability is likely to be used. Employees will not be required to identify or disclose their disability to their employers when disability pay gap reporting is introduced. As with ethnicity, a minimum of 10 employees in each group being compared is proposed for data protection purposes and to protect employees’ privacy.

    Dates and deadlines

    The same two sets of dates as used for gender pay gap reporting are proposed: the “snapshot date” of 5 April each year for the private and voluntary sector and the “reporting date” by 4 April the following year. Public bodies’ dates are 31 March and 30 March the following year. Employers will probably have to report their ethnicity and disability pay gap data online, similar to the gender pay gap service.
    Other parts of the consultation paper consider the geographical scope of mandatory reporting and whether employers should produce action plans to help identify why there is a pay gap and how it can be closed. It is proposed that the Equality and Human Rights Commission will be responsible for enforcement.

    Conclusion

    Many organisations are already analysing ethnicity pay gaps voluntarily. In April 2023, the previous Government published comprehensive guidance for employers on how to voluntarily measure, report and address any ethnicity pay difference within the workforce.
    However, many employers may not have enough employee data to produce a meaningful ethnicity pay gap report, so the starting point is to focus on collecting this data and encourage employees to participate in workforce surveys.

  • Aldoctor: Your Ultimate Source for Medical Insights & Health Updates

    Aldoctor: Your Ultimate Source for Medical Insights & Health Updates

    Table of Contents
    ToggleIntroductionMeet Sports Injury PhysiotherapyGet Chrome Partial DentureDon’t PanicKeep the tooth moist by putting it in milk or a cup of salivaWrap in saline gauze or wet paperYour teeth are strong and usually, the damage is treatable.Conclusion

    Introduction

    If you are active in sports, you may be at risk of breaking a tooth. Athletes can experience injuries to their teeth no matter what type of sports they participate in. For example, playing football or hockey can lead to serious dental injuries such as chipped teeth or broken bones around the mouth. However, it is not just players who are at risk for experiencing these types of injuries; spectators and coaches can also be injured by flying objects during games or practices. So, here is a guide to do if this happens during your game.ContentsIntroductionMeet Sports Injury PhysiotherapyGet Chrome Partial DentureDon’t PanicKeep the tooth moist by putting it in milk or a cup of salivaWrap in saline gauze or wet paperYour teeth are strong and usually, the damage is treatable.Conclusion

    Meet Sports Injury Physiotherapy

    Sports injury physiotherapy is a type of treatment that is aimed at recovering from injuries related to sports. In some cases, it may also be used as a preventative measure to enhance performance or prevent future injuries. It is important for those who have suffered sports-related injuries to seek the services of a qualified professional when choosing sports injury physiotherapy to ensure their safety and health.

    When you break your teeth from playing sports, it can be a serious problem that requires immediate attention from both your dentist and an oral surgeon if necessary. However, there are things that you can do at home to minimize discomfort as well as reduce the chances of infection until you can see a professional.

    Get Chrome Partial Denture

    Chrome partial denture is an excellent option for people who have lost one or more teeth. Partial dentures can be made from metal, plastic, or porcelain and can be used to replace several missing teeth at once. The partial denture is attached to the teeth that are still in your mouth with brackets and wires. It is important to keep your gums healthy so that the partial denture fits properly on top of the remaining natural teeth.

    Don’t Panic

    If you’ve broken a tooth while playing sports, the first thing to do is not panic. This is a common occurrence and can be quite painful, but it’s also not an emergency.

    Don’t put your teeth back in your mouth. The best thing to do is immediately spit out any pieces that have come loose and rinse them with water.Don’t chew on the broken tooth or try to clean it yourself with cotton buds or other implements (even if they’re made of plastic). You could cause additional damage by chewing on the broken piece or trying to clean it and make matters worse if sharp edges are poking out from where they broke off.Rinse again with cold water if necessary; don’t use hot water because this could hurt more than help right now. 

    Rinse Your Mouth with Salt Water

    Salt water can be used to rinse your mouth after a sports injury, as it helps kill bacteria that may have entered the wound. If you know you have a broken tooth, give yourself an extra minute or two before rinsing with salt water. This way, you’ll be able to rinse around any remaining pieces of the tooth that could cause more damage if they were left in your mouth (and also help ensure that those pieces get washed away).

    Keep the tooth moist by putting it in milk or a cup of saliva

    If you can, keep the tooth moist by putting it in milk or a cup of saliva. Otherwise, place the tooth in a plastic bag and keep it at room temperature until you can see your dentist. Do not use water or ice because they may swell the roots and cause pain. Do not eat or drink anything that could damage any remaining teeth.

    Wrap in saline gauze or wet paper

    If you break a tooth, wrap it in saline gauze or a wet paper towel. Use a piece of clean cloth or cotton to wrap your bitten-off tooth until you can get to the dentist. Wrap it tightly so that no dirt or bacteria gets into the wound and make sure that it doesn’t move around too much as this could damage your gums further. For example, if you bite off the side of your front tooth while playing football and then place it in your mouth so that blood doesn’t run down into your throat (which is called “rooting”), wrap the bitten-off portion with something soft like gauze or even toilet paper before putting it back into its proper position on top of its root above ground level where it will heal better without being disturbed repeatedly by chewing food, etc. It’s important not to panic because there’s little chance that any nerve damage has been sustained due to such an accident – however, if possible avoid any further trauma during this time which may cause further problems by making sure you’re taken care of as soon as possible at one of your dental practices near you.

    Your teeth are strong and usually, the damage is treatable.

    If you break your teeth while playing sports, the good news is that they can usually be repaired. Your dentist will likely order X-rays and take dental impressions to recreate the missing teeth. Then, he or she will create a temporary denture and fit it into your mouth.

    It’s important to keep in mind that even though your teeth may be permanently damaged, they will heal over time. This means that as long as there are no other complications like infection or severe pain, they can return to their original position after an injury.

    If this happens during an athletic event like a baseball game or hockey match, then it might not be the best idea for you to play again until everything has settled down and healed properly, especially if there are serious injuries involved.

    Conclusion

    In summary, sports injuries are an unfortunate reality and can happen to anyone. Thankfully, they’re usually treatable with the right treatment plan. If your tooth is broken, you should try to keep it moist and go to the dentist as soon as possible. You may need a temporary filler or even a permanent solution like a bridge or implant if necessary.

  • Ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting: What employers need to know

    Uncover the Hidden Pay Gap: Employers\’ Guide to Ethnicity & Disability Equity

    Gender pay gap reporting for large employers was introduced in 2017. The Government’s view is that this has improved transparency and provided employers with important information about how to address inequalities.

    Transparency Talk: Pay Gap Reporting Goes Mandatory

    What’s Brewing?

    There’s a bold new plan to make ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting a legal requirement. Employers are suddenly expected to pull out all the stops, showing the numbers that were once kept under wraps.

    Why It Matters

    • Spotting wage disparities that hide behind spreadsheets.
    • Cleaning up inequities, one large company at a time.
    • Boosting trust and morale—because people aren’t happy when the pay gap isn’t front‑and‑center.

    Current Roadmap

    Now the government is consulting with industry specialists to decide how to pull this off. Think of it like drafting a manual for the most transparent corporate playground ever.

    The consultation period ends on 10 June 2025.

    Why the Push for Pay‑Gap Transparency Matters

    The latest wave of reporting looks to mirror the gender‑pay initiative, but when it comes to ethnicity and disability, things get trickier. Most big employers—those with 250+ staff—are already familiar with the essentials. However, the real challenge? The sheer number of ethnic groups in the workforce and the fact that many organisations don’t track who’s who.

    The Numbers that Don’t Lie

    • Ethnic minorities generally earn less than their white‑British counterparts.
    • Disabled employees are seen earning lower salaries than non‑disabled peers.

    It’s a sobering snapshot, but one that can’t stay hidden any longer. Mandatory reporting will flag these gaps and give companies a chance to dig deeper.

    What’s In It for Employers?

    Knowing the gaps opens up a window of opportunity for solutions:

    • Spot patterns that hint at unconscious bias or structural barriers.
    • Tackle the root causes—whether it’s hiring practices, pay negotiations, or workload distribution.
    • Show that the business cares, which can boost morale and attract talent.
    Wrap‑Up

    The new reporting regime may feel like a compliance horror show at first, but it’s really the business’s best friend. By shedding light on hidden pay disparities, companies can take concrete steps to make the pay scale fair for everyone—whether that’s a quiet desk‑bound member of the workforce or a star performer across the board.

    What does the consultation paper cover?

    Pay gap calculations

    New Reporting Rules: Pay Gap & Diversity Breakdown

    Hey employers, the government’s got a fresh set of rules in the bag that you’ll need to roll out soon. Think of it as a 2025 “Pay Gap and Workforce Insights” report, but with a twist: they’re digging deeper than ever.

    1. Pay Gap Reporting – More Than Just Numbers

    • Mean & Median Differences: You’ll need to show both the average hourly pay and the median for your staff.
    • Bonus Talk: Include the average bonus pay per employee and the % that actually received a bonus.
    • The Four “Pay Bands”: Divide your workforce into four equal groups – from highest to lowest hourly rates. It’s like a bingo card but for salaries.

    2. Diversity Reporting – Go Further

    • Ethnicity & Disability Snapshot: Print out a clear breakdown of your workforce by ethnicity and disability status.
    • Anonymous or Not? Alongside that, you must disclose the % of employees who chose not to share their ethnicity or disability info. Think of it as a “mystery squad” statistic.

    Why the extra detail? Because the gov’s feeling we need to know not just the headline numbers but the grain of the data – who’s earning what, who’s getting bonuses, and the diversity mix. If you can’t see it, you probably haven’t assessed it.

    Bottom line: Collect, calculate, and report. Get it right, and you’ll avoid any red‑eye from the deets committee. If you’re unsure, crunch those numbers; you’ll be glad you did.

    Additional reporting requirements for public bodies

    Why Your Office Is About to Become a Data Dashboard

    Picture this: the government just dropped a big question on your desk. You’re not asked to bake a cake, but to spill the beans on who’s earning what in your company. It’s all about ethnicity pay gaps and how staff move up the ladder.

    Two Big Questions, One Simple Goal

    1. Are we reporting how pay changes across each salary band? Think of it like checking how much each grade level pays people from different backgrounds.
    2. What about the bigger picture? Recruitment, retention, and promotion. The government wants a snapshot of how all the threads in your workforce stitch together—whether people from every ethnicity find a seat at the table and stay there.

    Now, Throw in Disability!

    Now that’s a curveball. Is disability part of the mix? The official asks whether the same transparency rules should cover how disabled employees fare in pay and career moves.

    What Does This Mean for You?
    • Data becomes your friend. Grab those numbers, not just casual hunches.
    • Cost vs. benefit? Yes, it’s paperwork. But it’s also a chance to shine a light on fair pay.
    • Celebrate the wins. When you discover your workforce is balanced, share that victory—it makes Google happy, and so does everyone inside.

    Bottom line: All your data streams are moving to the spotlight. Get ready to report, reflect, and maybe even roll your eyes a little—it’s a win for transparency, and a real boost for everyone involved.

    Ethnicity data collection and calculations

    Pay Gap Reporting and Ethnic Data: A Tug‑of‑War

    It turns out that figuring out who earns what in the office is a bit more tangled than a ball of yarn left in a squirrel’s nest. The government thinks the sweetest data comes straight from the people who live it—so they want staff to hand over their own ethnicity. Yet they’re also playing Nice and giving anyone a chance to opt‑out if they’re not comfortable spilling the beans.

    Why all the fuss? Some groups earn way more than others, so the authorities want companies to keep an eye on the pay‑gap parade for as many ethnic categories as possible—like a fitness tracker for your salary.

    Data Protection: Tightening the Safety Nets

    • Privacy first: To keep secrets safe, each ethnic slice must count at least 10 people. If a team only has 4 from a group, you’ll need to bundle them with another segment.
    • Binary sanity check: When numbers dwindle, the government allows a simple two‑group comparison—think
      White Britain vs. All Other. It’s a quick “yes or no” on the wage gap ladder.

    In short, companies must juggle between providing juicy insights and respecting privacy—like balancing a salad on a tightrope. The goal? Show a clear picture of pay differences without turning into a privacy breach circus.

    Disability data collection and calculations

    Government’s New Plan to Check the Disability Pay Gap

    In an effort to shed light on how salaried workers with disabilities fare compared to their non‑disabled colleagues, the Government plans to take a “binary approach” to measuring pay differences.

    How the Numbers Will Be Gathered

    • Employees won’t have to reveal their disability status to bosses—just like the way companies handle racial or ethnic reporting.
    • Data will be collected in groups that contain at least ten people each, to keep privacy safe and avoid awkward, single‑employee boundaries.
    • The wording for “disability” will come straight from the Equality Act 2010, so it’s all on a solid legal foundation.

    Why It Matters

    By looking at the big picture—disabled vs. non‑disabled—the aim is to catch systemic gaps and help employers correct the scale.

    What This Means for Workers

    Think of it as a friendly audit: if a company is stacking its workforce with S1 employees but not giving them fair wages, the data will highlight the issue without putting anyone on the spot.

    Bottom Line

    The initiative is about fairness and transparency, keeping both performance and privacy in balance, while giving policymakers clearer evidence to push for equitable pay.

    Dates and deadlines

    New Pay‑Gap Reporting Rules are on Their Way

    In a move that’s sure to tickle your spreadsheets, the government is tightening up how companies track wage differences. The same dates you’ve seen for gender pay gap reporting will now apply to ethnicity and disability gaps.

    Key Dates (Pitch‑Perfect!

    • Snapshot date – 5 April each year, for the private and voluntary sector.
    • Reporting deadline – 4 April the following year.
    • Public bodies: 31 March for the snapshot, 30 March for the final report.

    In plain English: stick your numbers in by those dates, or you’ll be playing catch‑up. And just like the gender pay gap service, employers will now need to upload ethnicity and disability data online—no more paper trails.

    What’s Next in the Consultation

    • The scope of mandatory reporting – who is required to publish and when.
    • Action plans – companies might have to outline the “why” behind a gap and sketch out a plan to close it.
    • Enforcement – the Equality and Human Rights Commission will keep a watchful eye. Think of them as the regulator’s version of a referee in a fussy tug‑of‑war.
    Why Does This Matter?

    It’s a hefty reminder that jobs should pay fairly – and that “fair” is no longer a vague concept. For employers, it means double‑checking numbers, sharpening reports, and staying honest about who earns what. For workers, it’s a promise that their hard work will be measured and transparent.

    All in all, these changes are a step toward a clearer picture of pay equity across the board—one snapshot (and a final report) at a time.

    Conclusion

    Why Your Company Should Start Closing the Ethnicity Pay Gap (And How to Do It)

    At the moment, a lot of businesses are already taking the initiative to look at how pay varies across different ethnic groups. Back in April 2023, the government handed out a pretty detailed playbook for employers. It tells you exactly how you can measure, report, and tackle any differences that show up when you compare wages across ethnicities.

    Got Enough Data?

    Here’s the kicker: many firms don’t yet have enough employee information to spit out a solid report. That means the real first step isn’t crunching numbers the moment you’re ready, but collecting them. Start by asking your folks to fill in the blanks on your workforce surveys. The more participation, the clearer the picture.

    What Kind of Data Do You Need?

    • Full name (or at least a way to identify who’s who)
    • Job title and department
    • Last year’s salary or hourly rate
    • Self‑declared ethnicity (be sure to give them plenty of options)

    Once you’ve got your data set looking good to go, the 2023 guidance will show you how to turn those numbers into actionable insights. In short: get the info first, then you’ll be ready to break down the pay gap and start making real changes.

    Take the First Step Today!

    Don’t wait for the next policy update. Start coaxing your employees into the survey, grab that data, and you’ll be on your way to a fairer, more inclusive workplace. It’s all about opening the door to honest conversation and taking the leap to a better, more equitable pay structure.

  • “BOOKKEEPING” – Is this the end?

    “BOOKKEEPING” – Is this the end?

    Any successful businessperson will tell you that good bookkeeping is the bread and butter of any business. It basically involves keeping an up to date record of all of income and expenses and therefore the business’s financial position, enabling the owner to make educated decisions regarding the future of the company.

    Bookkeeping is also necessary for a business to comply with a number of regular legal and tax obligations – from filing of accounts and VAT returns to corporation tax – all of which have to be filed accurately and on time with HMRC or Companies House.

    As a business owner, it’s necessary to keep track of all aspects of the business; including trends in sales and profit, costs incurred, how much you can afford to pay yourself, amounts owed, taxes due and whether there are financial problems ahead.

    Without records, it would be difficult to make decisions, know what’s working and what isn’t, plan for the future or decide on any potential investments. If the income and expenditure of the business were not recorded, there would be no control – something that would make basic management impossible.

    Bookkeeping – The Traditional Way

    The traditional way of bookkeeping involves doing everything manually. This includes paper records, spreadsheets, or using an accounting system to record transactions. However, even when these records are painstakingly and immaculately kept up to date, unless the business has an in-house finance function, they periodically need to be collated and sent to your accountant.

    When the accountant receives all the basic data, the records will be processed and it then takes some time to produce management reports that can actually be used to evaluate the business and for decision making. These reports also set out the business’s financial position in a specific format that is often required by external parties. The accountant would also have to use this information to complete VAT returns, company tax returns, and annual accounts – AKA your tax compliance burden.

    Realistically, you have two options: you could do the bookkeeping yourself, or you can pay someone else to do it. Either way, there is normally a significant delay between the collating the bookkeeping and getting back any meaningful information on the business – management accounts or your tax liability calculated. In addition, you will have to pay for these extra management reports and tax returns.

    Let’s look at the facts – stats released last year by the Federation for Small Business:
    • Half the owners of the UK’s smallest businesses spend up to eight hours per month on tax admin and one in five said a lack of understanding about the tax system has led them to miss tax deadlines.
    • For 11% tax admin takes an astonishing six days per month.
    • Two thirds of owners estimate the cost of dealing with tax obligations at over £3,500 pa.
    • One in three said a lack of cashflow planning led to not paying taxes on time.

    The 21st Century – the end to bookkeeping as we know it?

    Looking at the stats, it’s obvious that doing things manually just isn’t working very well. The solution is clear – just get digital! All of the data is already there in electronic form and can be easily shared by using a modern, online accounting service.

    This means that all sales invoices can be automatically recorded in your accounts and online business bank account statements can be uploaded directly into your secure records, meaning there’s no re-keying to keep your books up to date. – Or you can quickly enter everything via your phone.

    Furthermore, the online system automatically takes this data and provides management reports from it – so you always have 24/7 access to an instant real time picture of your business’s position and tax owed. Your accountant always has access to the data and can use it to complete the necessary tax returns and accounts, without chasing you for the info. This way, a deadline is never missed and you are always safe from paying penalties.

    By using an online accounting service, the accountancy and tax advice you need is included as well – you’ll have easy access to a named single point of contact, a real person, for unlimited advice and support. There are no surprise bills, commitments or exit fees, and for a competitive, transparent, fixed monthly fee you get everything a small business needs to deal with accounts and tax.

    Modern “bookkeeping” is the best tool in the arsenal of any start-up. As an additional bonus, an online accountant can provide quick business set-up and tax planning advice. There are no spreadsheets to deal with and no delays to getting your business on track. By using online accounting software, business owners save time and money and are hassle and stress free, while always maintaining control and visibility of their company.