WE ARE HIRING!
Discover career opportunities with DPC
Home » Latest News » Business News Roundup – 13th January 2025
Business News England
Brought to you by DPC Accountants
Welcome to the DPC round up of the latest business news for our clients for 13th January 2025
Please contact us if you want to talk with out team of experienced Stoke-on-Trent accountants about how these updates affect your business. We are here to support you!








THIS WEEK…
Balancing profit and customer retention
Tax measures taking effect in April mean that businesses are facing rising wage costs in 2025. As a result, many businesses are looking at whether price increases could help them manage the financial impact without losing customers.
High Street retailer Next recently announced a price increase of 1% on some clothing items to help offset an anticipated £73 million rise in staff wages and taxes. Their strategy and decisions provide some useful lessons.
Save yourself £100!
With the 31 January Self-Assessment tax return filing deadline fast approaching, HM Revenue and Customs issued a press release last week noting that 5.4 million taxpayers are yet to complete their return.
Apparently more than 24,800 people filed their return on New Year’s Day, while a further 38,000 had filed theirs on 31 December. 310 filed their returns between 11pm and midnight.
Preventing large firms using unfair advantages to shut out smaller businesses
Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) set out its initial plans for the new digital markets competition regime. The regime is designed to support the UK’s tech sector and has its legal footing in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. The Act received royal assent in May 2024 but came into force on 1 January 2025.
The regime is intended to prevent very large, generally global, tech firms using unfair advantages to shut out smaller businesses. Following an investigation, which can take up to a maximum 9 months, the CMA has the power to designate a business as having “Strategic Market Status” (SMS) in relation to a particular digital activity.
Use and misuse?
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to bring benefits across many industries, including healthcare diagnostics and consumer technology. However, as its applications expand, so do concerns about its accuracy and potential for misuse.
Two recent examples—the use of AI in detecting ovarian cancer and its controversial implementation in summarising news—illustrate both the transformative potential and the risks of AI.
Stimulus for a once-proud industry
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds co-chaired the first meeting of a new Steel Council last week. The Steel Council’s purpose is to help secure the long-term future of steelmaking in the UK.
The new Council will feature regular meetings with trade union leaders, industry experts, devolved government representatives, trade associations and steel sector leaders such as CEOs from Tata Steel and British Steel.
Crackdown on illegal working
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) have announced the suspension of two business rates agents. These are Rateable Value Experts and Re-Rates UK. The VOA have not specified the exact reasons for the suspension and have simply said that they are investigating a potentially serious breach of their agent standards.
While the suspension is in force, the VOA won’t work with or accept any information from the two agents. This is likely to cause difficulties for any customers that they are representing, and so the VOA have written to customers that are affected.
“Project Gigabit”
The UK government has announced contracts worth over £289 million to provide gigabit-capable broadband to 131,000 homes and businesses in some of the country’s most remote locations. The initiative is part of the government’s Project Gigabit program, which aims to modernise broadband infrastructure across the country.
The contracts will focus on regions such as the Dee Valley, Isle of Anglesey, and Shropshire Hills, as well as parts of North and Southwest Wales, Herefordshire, Devon, Somerset, Essex, North East England, and Worcestershire.
Reducing workplace death and injury
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. The HSE was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and officially launched on 1 January 1975.
In 1974, 651 employees were killed at work. HSE’s statistics for 2023/24 show 138 employees were killed at work and indicates the work that has been done to reduce workplace death and injury in England, Scotland and Wales over the last 50 years.
Newsletter Archives
- 16th December 2024
- 9th December 2024
- 2nd December 2024
- 25th November 2024
- 18th November 2024
- 11th November 2024
- 4th November 2024
- 28th October 2024
- 21st October 2024
- 14th October 2024
- 7th October 2024
- 30th September 2024
- 23rd September 2024
- 16th September 2024
- 9th September 2024
- 2nd September 2024
- 27th August 2024
- 19th August 2024
- 12th August 2024
- 5th August 2024
- 29th July 2024
- 22nd July 2024
- 15th July 2024
- 8th July 2024
- 24th June 2024
- 17th June 2024
- 10th June 2024
- 3rd June 2024
- 28th May 2024
- 20th May 2024
- 13th May 2024
- 7th May 2024
- 29th April 2024
- 22nd April 2024
- 18th March 2024