節錄內容：The overhaul follows research showing that despite almost 3,000 companies signing the PPC, poor payment practices are still rife, with many payments delayed well beyond the existing 60-day target required for 95% of invoices. Currently, £23.4bn worth of late invoices are owed to firms across Britain, which the government says is impacting on businesses’ cash flow and ultimate survival post-Covid. Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) figures suggest around 50,000 businesses close every year due to late payments.
- The changes coming into effect immediately require a company’s CEO or finance director, or the business owner where it is a small business, to personally sign the PPC to ensure responsibility for payment practices is taken at the highest level of an organisation.
- There is a new logo for signatories to use in external communications to show their commitment to the PCC, making it more damaging to a company’s reputation to breach it.
- Signatories must acknowledge as a condition of signing the code that suppliers can charge interest on late invoices, and that administrators of the PPC to investigate breaches based on third-party information.
- In addition, from 1 July there is a new requirement for signatories to pay 95% of invoices from small businesses (those with less than 50 employees) within 30 days. The target for larger businesses will remain 95% of invoices within 60 days.
- Philip King, interim small business commissioner, said: ‘Late payment causes real hardship to small businesses, and the issue is more prevalent than ever due to the continued impact of the pandemic. ‘I encourage businesses of all sizes to implement ethical business practices and sign up to become a Code signatory and join us on our journey to aid business recovery post Covid-19.’
- Mike Cherry, FSB national chairman, said: ‘It’s good to see the progress announced today by BEIS and especially the outgoing Small Business Commissioner that has driven this agenda. ‘It’s now time for swift delivery, and for all existing and future PPC signatories to implement 30 days as the new maximum. Ending our pernicious poor payment culture for good over the coming months will be fundamental to turning our hopes of economic recovery into reality.’
- Iain Wright, director of business and industrial strategy at ICAEW, said: ‘This is a big step in the right direction to help change attitudes towards late payments at a time when resources are tight for businesses of all sizes.
中文翻譯節錄：
＊英國政府於 2008 年創建Prompt Payment Code (PPC)，以響應企業要求改變支付文化的呼籲。 它為企業在與供應商打交道和付款時建立了一套原則，承諾他們按時公平付款。
研究表明，儘管有近 3,000 家公司簽署了 PPC，但糟糕的付款方式仍然普遍存在， 95% 的付款延遲遠超過 60 天。目前英國各地的公司欠下價值 234 億英鎊的逾期發票，政府表示這正在影響企業的現金流和 疫情後的最終生存。小型企業聯合會 (FSB) 的數據顯示，每年約有 50,000 家企業因延遲付款而關閉。
根據Prompt Payment Code (PPC) 的改革：
- 小型企業的大型供應商所需的付款期限將減半至 30 天，並由公司的 CEO 或財務總監或企業主親自簽署 PPC，以確保組織的最高級別對支付行為負責。
- 簽署方在外部溝通中會使用一個新標誌，以表明他們對 PCC 的承諾，這使得違反PPC對公司聲譽的損害更大。
- 簽署方必須承認，作為簽署PCC的條件，供應商可以對逾期發票收取利息。並且 PPC 的管理員可以根據第三方信息調查違規行為。
- 從 7 月 1 日起，簽署人針對95% 的小企業（員工少於 50 人）訂單必須在 30 天內支付款項，對95% 的大型企業訂單則是在 60 天內支付。
- 小企業專員(interim Small Business Commissioner) Philip King說：“延遲付款給小企業帶來很大的困難，由於疫情持續影響，這個問題比以往更加普遍。我鼓勵各種規模的企業實施合乎道德的商業慣例，並註冊成為守則的簽署人，並加入我們的旅程，以幫助Covid-19疫情後的商業復甦。”
- FSB 全國主席 Mike Cherry 表示：“很高興看到 BEIS 今天宣布的進展，現在是快速交付的時候了，所有現有和未來的 PPC 簽署方都將實施 30 天作為新的最長期限。在接下來的幾個月裡徹底結束我們惡劣的支付文化，對於將我們對經濟復甦的希望變為現實至關重要。”
- ICAEW 商業和產業戰略總監Iain Wright表示：“這是朝著正確方向邁出的一大步，有助於在各種規模的企業資源緊張的情況下改變對延遲付款的態度。”
