Whoever said accounts were boring. Well in the city of Belfast online accounting provider Fusion Accounts are busy preparing for the Wacky Rally.

I hear you asking, what is ‘Wacky Rally’. Well Wacky Rally is a banger rally like no other where people of all ages, from all walks of life, with a sense of adventure (and humour) come together and take on a fun and exciting challenge. As part of the rally plans Fusion Accounts have decided to make this a worthy cause and support this year’s 25^th anniversary of the Northern Ireland Hospice by fundraising. Their target is to donate £2000 to the Northern Ireland children hospice.

You can help them this great cause by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/banger-belfast-barcelona.

The concept of the banger rally is simple, entrants have to buy a car worth £250 or less, make it worthy of a wacky rally and then drive to a distant city with other like minded people and enjoy a well deserved party at the end. Fusion Accounts will be taking part in the Barmy to Barcelona rally which takes places from the 16^th – 19^th July 2010. This rally takes in the amazing Swiss Alps, rolling hills of Italy, French Riviera and the Spanish Catalan capital. More...

You can’t have failed to be personally moved and dismayed by the sheer scale of the ecological disaster created by the recent BP oil spill off the coast of the USA. With the spill covering an area the size of Scotland, the crisis had a devastating impact upon local businesses and an even greater impact upon wildlife.

Here in the UK, being on the other side of the Atlantic it can be easy to feel disconnected from the oil spill crisis and, whilst feeling sympathy for those affected, feel that it has no real relevance or impact upon our own economy – and our own businesses. However – is that really so? Online accounting software providers Fusion Accounts take a look at what the BP disaster could mean for you and for small businesses – and how you should consider the potential impact before dismissing it as a ‘US issue’.

BP – a company in crisis?More...

Today’s Emergency Budget included a whole host of measures designed to be, in Chancellor George Osborne’s words, ‘tough but fair’ – including a rise of the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) to 20% as from 4 January 2011. But what does this mean in reality for you and your business?

The practical side – updating your records

If you are using an online accounting system such as Fusion Accounts, you don’t need to worry about waiting for delivery of new software and then installing a complex upgrade to ensure your invoices and reports reflect the right VAT rate – this is all done for you automatically without you having to lift a finger. However, if you’re a retailer, you’ll need to go through the process – again – of repricing your products at point of sale to ensure that you’re up to date. As many retailers use the Christmas period to perform stock takes, it probably makes good sense to combine the two. Remember that not all products are liable to the standard rate VAT – such as children’s products and certain foodstuffs – so check with your accountant if there’s anything you’re unsure of. More...

Fusion’s online accounting software is continually being enhanced with new features and functionality.  The key benefit of using online accounting software is that the business owner, bookkeeper and accountant can access the data anytime and from any location. All they need is internet access.  No software has to be installed and they receive automatic backups of their data.  Fusion’s new release will be available from Friday 18th June 2010.  Find below some videos demonstrating Fusion's new features More...

With only a few days remaining to the start of the world cup it is time to kick your accounts into action by taking advantage of the Fusion Accounts 2010 FIFA World Cup offer.  If England wins the world cup we will give you 2 year’s FREE subscription to our online accounting software. To qualify for the world cup offer sign up to the free trial of our accounting software between now and the world cup final ‘anytime, anywhere’ and then send an Email: info@fusionaccounts.com, quoting your business name and insert ‘FIFA world cup’ into the subject of the email.

England's first match will be against the USA on Saturday 12th June 2010.  England manager Fabio Capello said he wants to take the England team all the way to the World Cup final. Likewise Fusion Accounts wants to take your business all the way by providing you with a real-time accounting solution so that you can manage your cash flow more efficiently. More...

The new UK coalition Government has, as expected, announced huge public spending cuts aimed at reducing the country’s massive debt. Did you know that the UK has one of the biggest budget deficits in Europe? The cuts will total £6.24bn in this financial year alone and we thought it would be interesting to gauge the differing opinions about the impact they might have on small businesses.

Some organisations foresee strong private-sector-led recovery

Organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) have cautiously welcomed the Government’s actions. They believe that reducing the budget deficit will help to rebuild confidence in the economy and kick-start recovery.

Richard Lambert, director general of the CBI said, “"We have been calling for a strong focus on deficit reduction to underpin the UK's fiscal credibility and position us for a strong private-sector-led recovery”.

What about help for small businesses?

To give economic recovery a boost, the Government has committed to:More...

OK, let’s start by clarifying that an ‘A’ level in economics does not make me an economist and I hardly consider myself an expert in globalisation but if there is one thing that the recent crisis has solidified in my mind it is the importance of maintaining an independent currency.

I’m not a Euro Sceptic, although I’m sure like most people I would like to see Europe become less bureaucratic and expensive and more democratic, but, seeing as few of us bother to vote or take an interest in Europe then we’ve only ourselves to blame on that front”.More...

HMRC have issued detailed guidelines on penalties for late payment of PAYE deductions due for a period starting on or after 6 April 2010 for:

• monthly or quarterly PAYE (Pay As You Earn)
• student loan deductions
• Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) payments
• Class 1 National Insurance contributions (NICs)
• annual payments of employers' Class 1A NICs
• annual PAYE Settlement Agreements (PSA) payments
• PAYE determinations or charges raised

These penalties will be up to 4% of the total amount that is late for a given tax year.

Full details can be found on HMRC’s web site.

Fusion Accounts receive a call from an accountancy practice in Uganda.

The power of the web never ceases to amaze us. Not only do we have clients in the north and south of Ireland and the UK but since we launched our online accounting software we have received an increasing number of calls and emails from accountants and resellers in countries such as Sri Lanka and India.

With Fusion Accounts being web-based it can be accessed anywhere in the world simply via an internet connection.

Having received the phone call from Uganda yesterday morning we had our online accounting software configured with the Ugandan currency (UGX) and VAT codes in less than one hour.More...

The eruption of a volcano in the tiny, isolated island nation of Iceland is threatening to turn into a major headache for businesses and travellers across Europe and around the world.

Planes were first grounded in the UK at midday on Thursday amid fears particles in the ash cloud from Eyjafjallajoekull could cause engines to shut down.

Mr Brown believes this is one of the most serious transport disruptions we have faced. “It's got financial consequences as well as human consequences and we will do everything in our power to make sure all the arrangements are in place to help people where possible to get back home." More...