Successful Businessman

The cost of Thanksgiving Dinner is going to cost more this year – 13 percent more, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The average cost of a traditional dinner for 10 is averaged at $49.20 — $5.73 more than last year. Impacting the cost the most is the cost of the turkey itself – up 25 cents a pound over a year ago. A 16-pound turkey—is $21.57 this year, or about $1.35 per pound.

Even with the increase, the meal “remains a bargain, at just under $5 per person,” said the AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “The quality and variety of food produced for our dinner tables on America’s diverse farms and ranches sets us apart from our contemporaries around the world.  It is an honor for our farm and ranch families to produce the food from our nation’s land for family Thanksgiving celebrations.”

The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray, coffee and milk,sufficient to serve a family of 10.

Retailers are being more aggressive about passing on higher costs for shipping, processing and storing food to consumers, although turkeys may still be featured in special sales and promotions close to Thanksgiving.

A gallon of whole milk increased in price by 42 cents per gallon, to $3.66—in Montana, it was $3.89. Other items that showed

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A NUMBER of households have already paid the new 100 charge which will eventually be replaced by a property tax, new figures show.

According to the Household Charge Project Board, 2,390 people have agreed to make the payment, the majority of which are doing so with a credit or debit card.

A further 400 have set up direct debits.

An online system householdcharge.ie has been established so households can register to make the controversial payment.

But the charge can be paid by postal order, cheque or at local authority offices.

Meanwhile, the campaign against the charge, which includes a number of politicians, has said it will step up its campaign against it.

It added it is confident that as many as half of households will not register for the charge.

The deadline for payment is March 31 and late penalties and fines will arise after that date.

Some people are exempt from the payment including those in local authority housing and ghost estates.

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Almost 40% of Australian marketing executives expect their marketing budget to increase in 2012, a new report reveals, with advertising campaigns increasingly targeted at mobile devices.

The Australian Marketing Institute commissioned Colmar Brunton to conduct its annual study of Australia’s senior marketing professionals, titled the Senior Marketer Monitor.

The aim of the study is to understand senior marketer sentiment, priorities, perspectives, budgets and challenges in the current marketing environment.

This year’s study, which is based on the responses of 365 senior marketers, reveals 38% expect their budget to increase in 2012, while 24% expect a decrease next year.

The remaining 38% expect their budget to stay the same in 2012.

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The industry bodies, including those representing UK-based suppliers, have written to the Business Minister, Mark Prisk, to call for a plan of action to address late payment, which decimates small firms’ cash flow.

The group, which is supporting the Government’s new Finance Fitness’ campaign, believes any plan to encourage better payment practices should include the following measures:

• Confirm that the EU Late Payment Directive making 30-day payment terms mandatory, in the absence of any specified/agreed payment terms, is being brought forward to 2012 as originally stated and ensure any new legislation prevents suppliers being coerced into agreeing to vary payment terms against their will
• Given that small businesses suffer serious cash flow problems as a result of late payment from large customers and public sector bodies, impacting their ability to pay their own suppliers, ensure that the Directive is implemented in a flexible way to account for this domino effect’. <

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A YORK accountancy firm has launched an app for smart phones and tablets to help clients calculate their tax.

HPH Chartered Accountants, based on Bootham, launched the app as part of a £50,000 investment to maintain its use of technology, including computer software, networks and file servers, as part of its growth and client-service strategy.

Robert Woolley, the firm’s marketing and business development partner, said: “We are launching this mobile app service to demonstrate that while we are among the longest-established accountancy practices in York and North Yorkshire, we are also one of the most modern in our application of the latest technology.

“This initiative demonstrates to clients that we are always looking for ways to improve the speed, efficiency and quality of our services to them and it will mean that we are constantly in their thoughts when they access the service even outside working hours.”

As well as providing details of tax-saving schemes and eight tax calculators to provide different projections at the touch of a button, the app includes live financial and current affairs news feeds from MoneySavingExpert.com and Reuters.

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