AN APPEALS process – allowing claimants of the government’s Co-Funded Payroll Scheme to challenge repayment requirements – has been launched.
Earlier this year, a number of small-business owners told the JEP that they had been left stressed after being asked to repay money which they had been given through the scheme, which subsidised wages for hard-hit businesses during the height of the Covid-19 crisis.
The appeals process will give claimants the opportunity to have their repayment amounts reassessed and will also consider the timeframe in which they must be paid.
Chief Minister Kristina Moore said: ‘As part of our 100-day plan the Treasury Minister [Ian Gorst] and I are incredibly pleased to be launching this appeals process. This will ensure that businesses have been given fair treatment, through a transparent process, and are able to make any repayments within a more compassionate timeframe.
‘I am all too aware that people have been worried about these repayment requirements for several months. The process we have established has been designed to bring a swift resolution to appeals while minimising the impact on business owners’ time.’
She added: ‘We are aware that many businesses are still recovering from the impact of Covid and are currently dealing with various global challenges. We are committed to supporting them where we can and enabling a thriving local business environment.’
Details about the scheme can be accessed online at gov.je/GovernmentSupportForBusinesses.
