It is very important for all small businesses to be as competitive as they possibly can.  One of the key methods for attracting new customers today is undoubtedly the internet.  But a recent online report found that many small businesses have websites that are not properly optimised.  This means they will not be attracting the full volume of potential customers they could be.

Larger businesses have the financial means to hire someone to handle their search engine optimisation (SEO) on their behalf.  SEO is the practice of making sure the right keywords are in the right places on the web pages that form a site.  It covers other areas too but the main focus is to ensure that when someone searches for information, the site in question ranks high in the results.  This helps to bring in more customers.

I have been following the comments and reactions to the new increased rate of Value Added Tax in recent weeks, and one reaction was particularly noticeable recently.  It came from a Labour MP who feels that charities will suffer as a result of the new higher rate.

The shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, stated that some smaller charities in particular will suffer noticeably as a consequence of the new rate of 20% that will come into force early in January 2011.

It has been calculated by Labour that 3.6% of the income gained by smaller charities will have to go towards paying VAT.  This is valuable income that would otherwise be directed towards helping the people for whom various charities are there to help in the first place.

I have read lots of news stories concerning the non dom situation recently, with the bulk of them concentrating on the decision nom dom Lords have to make on whether to relinquish their status or their title in the House of Lords.

Norman Foster, the 75 year old architect, has decided he would rather keep his tax status intact than his seat in the House of Lords.  It may eventually mean he has to give up his right to the title of Lord as well, but it remains to be seen if or when this actually happens.

Mr Foster is the latest figure in the House of Lords to have to make the decision because of new laws that prohibit anyone in the House to be there if they are non domiciled in the UK.

Bankruptcy is a sad fact of life for many people.  Since the recession took hold there have been many people who have been unable to make their way through to the other side without becoming bankrupt in the process.

But recent reports seem to suggest that times are becoming generally harder for women as well as for men.  I was shocked to read that year on year figures for the number of women who are declaring themselves bankrupt have increased by some 28%.

The most common age group to find themselves with no option other than to become bankrupt is from 25 to 44.  Just over thirteen and a half thousand women opted for bankruptcy in 2008, and the figure jumped up by more than four thousand.