On 9 April 2020, in light of the amendments to the coronavirus (COVID-19) TERS Directives, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (“UIF”) released four new memoranda of agreement (“MOAs”) to be used when employers apply for the COVID-19 Temporary Relief Scheme (“TERS”). It has also issued a revised application procedure. A MOA records the terms and conditions for the implementation of the TERS by the UIF and any employer who submits a claim under the TERS ...
Current state of affairs On 5 March 2020, the first case of novel Coronavirus Disease of 2019 ("COVID-19"), was confirmed in South Africa. Prior to, and with the advent of the various regulations issued in terms of section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002, all industry sectors, including the mining industry, were directed to take reasonable measures to prevent or limit the exposure to COVID-19 at working places ...
On 8 April 2020, the Minister of Employment and Labour issued a notice amending a few significant aspects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Temporary Relief Scheme (“C19 TERS”) Directive of 25 March 2020 (the “Amendment”).The C19 TERS was established to compensate employees who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (“UIF”) ...
When a client or customer files for bankruptcy, a business’ treatment of that customer’s account must change. Many businesses have dedicated bankruptcy departments or teams that deal with these accounts. However, it can take a while before the account is flagged or transferred to the bankruptcy team. Further, some smaller business bankruptcy teams are comprised of other department employees just wearing a “bankruptcy hat” when working on those accounts ...
Mortgage servicers are currently being inundated with requests from borrowers impacted by COVID-19 for forbearance and other types of payment relief. Tracking, making sense of, and then complying with the guidance and requirements that are being issued and then modified – seemingly on a daily basis – by the federal government, the GSEs, and various states is proving to be a challenge for many, especially at a time when resources may already be limited or stretched thin ...
The SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act (the "Act") took effect on January 1, 2020, making substantial changes to the rules regarding retirement account distributions, including a required 10-year payout for most non-spouse beneficiaries of IRAs and other retirement plans. Changes to Existing Law For estate planning purposes, the Act's most important change is the elimination of the "stretch IRA ...
On April 8, 2020, the IRS released Rev. Proc. 2020-23 to allow certain partnerships to take advantage of tax law changes under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including the immediate expensing of costs related to "qualified improvement property ...
Due to introduction of restrictive measures in the territory of Ukraine during the quarantine period, the National Bank of Ukraine (hereinafter the "NBU"), by its Resolution No. 39 dated 26 March 2020 (the "Resolution"), introduced special rules for application by the banks of Ukraine of the requirements of the Regulation on determination by banks of Ukraine of the credit risk on active banking operations, approved by the Resolution of the Board of the NBU No. 351 of 30 June 2016 ...
Many commercial contracts limit claims between parties, particularly for consequential losses, to instances of gross negligence. Many statutes circumscribe claims against government authorities to the same circumstances. The Police Act, for example, prohibits claims against the police except where the police have been “guilty of dishonesty, gross negligence or malicious or wilful misconduct” ...
On April 8, 2020, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) provided additional guidance on the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) through an update to the Frequently Asked Questions document (“FAQs”) originally published on April 2, 2020 and subsequently updated on April 6th and 7th ...
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, H.R. 748 (the “CARES Act”), signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020, provides considerable relief for individuals and businesses in the form of financial assistance and tax-related benefits. Below is a short description of the tax benefits available for businesses, including employers and self-employed individuals under the CARES Act ...
We have previously reported on the Order that adopted the extraordinary measures under the COVID-19 health emergency declaration, published on March 31, 2020 (the “Order”), and the subsequent Technical Guidelines regarding certain essential activities described in the Order published on April 6, 2020. (These alerts may be found here and here, respectively ...
The ordinance proving a moratorium on loan installments has been enacted by the Government, and so has been competing legislation by Parliament, causing more instability. There are many uncertainties, the biggest being whether the Ordinance will remain in force at all – the Parliament has already adopted its replacement which is currently in its promulgation stage ...
The current global climate has changed the manner in which we socialize, work and engage even in the simplest activities. We had to quickly adapt to speaking with our friends over video calls, working primarily from home and going out of the house to the most limited extent possible, generally only to conduct essential activities, as defined by the public authorities ...
Since public health has been affected by the spread of COVID-19, Member States’ governments have adopted several measures to contain its diffusion and reduce the risk of exposure. Some Member States recommend social distancing measures, while others have also declared state of emergencies and lockdowns. This is also the case for Romania, where a lock-down is in place starting from 25 March 2020 ...
Below is a summary of key new measures and initiatives that have been implemented and announced by various UAE authorities since 6 April 2020 and the time of this inBrief, 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 8 April 2020 ...
The Supreme Court while hearing Suo Motu Writ (Civil) No.5/2020 on 6thApril 2020 has, in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 142 of the Constitution, directed that: i ...
Spring is a busy period in terms of corporate governance. It involves the computations, confirmations and conclusions related to the results of the previous financial year, when the following decisions are needed among others: Approval of annual reports and annual financial statements; Election of a new Board of Directors; Election of an internal Auditor and/or members of internal Audit Commission; Approval of company’s external auditor ...
In March, the Estonian Government decided to implement first steps to help the employers in order to avoid lay-offs and introduced also few other reliefs to support the companies. Below you can find summaries of these measures. Relief measures for employers Compensation of salary The Estonian Government approved the relief measures for the employees subject to salary cut ...
Last week, the SBA issued guidance concerning the rights of independent contractors with respect to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans. First, the SBA clarified that employers cannot include compensation paid to independent contractors in calculating their own loan amount. Second, the SBA announced that independent contractors and self-employed individuals will be eligible to apply for a PPP loans starting April 10, 2020 ...
As the country and the world grapple with the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the necessary steps governments, businesses, and citizens are taking to mitigate the crisis and the spread of COVID-19, businesses are dealing with an unprecedented slowdown and/or shutdown of operations across many economic sectors ...
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a series of memoranda that discloses the department’s enforcement priorities and provides public guidance related to the ongoing coronavirus crisis ...
