[Jersey] Small businesses object to Co-funded Payroll Scheme demands

A group of Jersey’s small-business owners believe an appeals system – allowing claimants of the government’s Co-Funded Payroll Scheme to challenge repayment requirements – is not fit for purpose, Jersey Evening Post reports.

Sophie Walton has written to the Chief Minister - on behalf of a number of small-business owners - asking for Islanders to be allowed to appeal against the repayment demands on the basis that the government made an error on the requirements of the scheme.

Earlier this year, a number of small-business owners reportedly told the Jersey Evening Post that requests for the repayment of money which they had been given through the scheme had been the cause of stress. The scheme subsidised wages for hard-hit businesses at the height of the pandemic.

In October, as part of Deputy Moore’s 100-day plan, Ms Walton established an appeals process to give claimants the opportunity to have their repayment amounts reassessed.

“The majority of claims affected are due to an error with the States Co-Funded Payroll claims website,” Ms Walton said, in her letter. “This is due to the requirements regarding the gross and net profit figures input for each claim.

“The website requested gross figures, then confirmed by email to each claim the gross profit figures given. The Co-Funded team has recently stated this was an error and it was meant to be net profit, not gross profit.

“We are now advised that any business who intends to appeal will not be able to base an argument on a claim relating to this gross and net profit issue. This error, not of our making, will be a factor in the vast majority of claims and it is in our opinion entirely prejudicial and unjust to automatically exempt this issue. It is clearly a relevant factor and not one of our members’ making.”

The group have reportedly requested that the appeal system should include claims relating to the gross and net profit issue and that an inquiry is held into the system to determine how the mistakes were made.

Ms Walton added that small businesses have ‘no voice’ and have been forced to ‘put up and shut up’ over the issue.

“Smaller business owners are looking down the barrel of a gun, liable to refund many tens of thousands of pounds at a time when they are still struggling to recover from the pandemic and facing each wave after wave of economic woe that is thrown at them,” she wrote.

“Given the serious errors in set-up with the matter and this now some 18 months without resolve we are minded to raise this issue as a complaint to the States Complaints Board.

“However, we wish to give your good selves the time to consider this and respectfully request your valued advice within 14 days.”

Source: Jersey Evening Post

(Quotes via original reporting)

A group of Jersey’s small-business owners believe an appeals system – allowing claimants of the government’s Co-Funded Payroll Scheme to challenge repayment requirements – is not fit for purpose, Jersey Evening Post reports.

Sophie Walton has written to the Chief Minister - on behalf of a number of small-business owners - asking for Islanders to be allowed to appeal against the repayment demands on the basis that the government made an error on the requirements of the scheme.

Earlier this year, a number of small-business owners reportedly told the Jersey Evening Post that requests for the repayment of money which they had been given through the scheme had been the cause of stress. The scheme subsidised wages for hard-hit businesses at the height of the pandemic.

In October, as part of Deputy Moore’s 100-day plan, Ms Walton established an appeals process to give claimants the opportunity to have their repayment amounts reassessed.

“The majority of claims affected are due to an error with the States Co-Funded Payroll claims website,” Ms Walton said, in her letter. “This is due to the requirements regarding the gross and net profit figures input for each claim.

“The website requested gross figures, then confirmed by email to each claim the gross profit figures given. The Co-Funded team has recently stated this was an error and it was meant to be net profit, not gross profit.

“We are now advised that any business who intends to appeal will not be able to base an argument on a claim relating to this gross and net profit issue. This error, not of our making, will be a factor in the vast majority of claims and it is in our opinion entirely prejudicial and unjust to automatically exempt this issue. It is clearly a relevant factor and not one of our members’ making.”

The group have reportedly requested that the appeal system should include claims relating to the gross and net profit issue and that an inquiry is held into the system to determine how the mistakes were made.

Ms Walton added that small businesses have ‘no voice’ and have been forced to ‘put up and shut up’ over the issue.

“Smaller business owners are looking down the barrel of a gun, liable to refund many tens of thousands of pounds at a time when they are still struggling to recover from the pandemic and facing each wave after wave of economic woe that is thrown at them,” she wrote.

“Given the serious errors in set-up with the matter and this now some 18 months without resolve we are minded to raise this issue as a complaint to the States Complaints Board.

“However, we wish to give your good selves the time to consider this and respectfully request your valued advice within 14 days.”

Source: Jersey Evening Post

(Quotes via original reporting)