‘Good compliance’ the priority on cookies law, says regulator

Businesses and other organisations operating websites have been told that regulators want “good compliance, not rushed compliance” with a law requiring them to gain visitors’ consent before logging information about them. 

Last year, the government revised the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations to address new EU requirements, and these came into force on 26 May 2011. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) allowed businesses and other organisations a year-long period to work towards compliance with changes, which ended on 26 May.

UK to get world-class creative tax breaks

The UK’s creative industries are set to benefit from tax reliefs that are among the most generous in the world, according to the government.

It has published a consultation on measures announced in the 2012 Budget, introducing tax reliefs targeted at animation, high-end TV and video games production.

Rules on large redundancies set for shake-up

Proposals that could cut the length of time employers have to consult with their employees on large scale redundancies by up to a third have been published by the government.

The new measures, outlined in a consultation launched by Employment Relations Minister Norman Lamb on 21 June, are designed to improve the ability of companies to respond to changing economic conditions and the quality of the collective redundancies process.

Anti-abuse tax rules set to include IHT

Inheritance tax (IHT) is set to be included in new anti-abuse rules designed to tackle tax avoidance schemes.

The government launched a consultation on the proposed General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) on 12 June, which would apply to the main direct taxes and national insurance. It also proposes an extension of the rule to inheritance tax.