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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.

While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.

From bereavement, wills, inheritance, separation and divorce to selling a house, personal injury and traffic offences, learn more about your personal legal rights.

"Amazon tax" could backfire for small retailers

28 July 2020

A digital retail tax intended to level the playing field between online retailers and high street stores would push up prices for consumers, the British Retail Consortium has warned.

The Treasury is said to be exploring replacements for business rates, including "alternative property and online taxes"; newspaper reports suggest that chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering a 2% levy on goods bought online.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic driving more sales online, such a tax could be damaging for small retailers who are trying to boost their ecommerce activity in order to survive.

Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: "Throughout the pandemic, many of us have been relying on retailers to ramp up their online services to ensure we can all get the goods we need. The government should not harm these efforts by further taxing the businesses providing these services, and the people they serve."

However, the Guardian reports that Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis has called for an "Amazon tax" on online sales to stop more high street shops from closing down. He said that the money raised would be enough to cut business rates by 20% for all retailers.

In April this year, the government introduced a digital services tax levied at 2% on the revenues of big technology firms such as Google, Amazon and Facebook. The Treasury consultation on a digital retail tax is expected to be completed in Spring 2021.

Elliott Jacobs, EMEA commerce consulting director at LiveArea, said: "The online sales tax seems like a short-sighted move … [it] shows a lack of understanding from the government in terms of how ecommerce and retail are intertwined. What they should perhaps be thinking of is a tax break, for instance, for struggling retailers to invest in their digital operations. If consumers want to spend their money online, why would you make a move to discourage this? It's unlikely a 2% tax will change the modern consumer's habits, and make them shop in-store.

"We should really be encouraging the digital economy, and focus on embracing omnichannel. Fulfilment options like click-and-collect and ship from store keep bricks-and-mortar stores relevant in the eyes of the online shopper, so retailers should be encouraged to embrace all channels, and not be penalised for the one that is likely going to be the most profitable at present."

Written by Rachel Miller.

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