Issue 31
Key points: Withdrawal of VAT exemption on research; Volunteers and discrimination law; Internships (Advertising and Regulation) Bill 2012-2013; FAQ: the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988
Withdrawal of VAT exemption on research
The UK plans to withdraw the tax exemption for business supplies of research between eligible bodies from 1 August 2013 following notification by the EU Commission that the exemption does not comply with EU legislation.
In public procurement, what is a ‘VEAT’ notice?
Under the Public Contract Regulations 2006, as amended, (the ‘Regulations’) there are certain pre-contractual and post-contractual remedies available to suppliers where the public procurement rules are breached. ‘Ineffectiveness’ is a mandatory, post-contractual remedy introduced by the Public Contracts (Amendment) Regulations 2009 for procurement exercises commenced on or after 20 December 2009.
Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2013
On 16 March 2013, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2013 (the ‘Regulations’) came into force. The Regulations follow on from a consultation by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), issued jointly with the Scottish Government, which ran from 20 September to 19 October 2012, and to which a response was issued by the Government in February 2013.
Consumer credit regulation to transfer from the OFT to the FCA
The Government intends to transfer consumer credit regulation from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014, at which point the OFT will cease to exist.