CBSS Round 7 Guidelines
The Department for Enterprise – Delivering a diverse economy where people choose to work, live and invest
Total applications and payments processed to date as of Tuesday 8th February 2021.
The Coronavirus Business Support Scheme was established in March 2020 to provide grant assistance to support local businesses in designated sectors that have been financially affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Scheme was amended to allow further funding rounds to certain eligible businesses in the Tourism and Travel related sectors who have suffered a 50% reduction in turnover caused by the Island's border restrictions.
The purpose of the seventh round of the Scheme was to provide a further three months support by way of financial assistance to those applicants that meet the Scheme’s eligibility criteria. The qualifying period was July, August and September 2021 with the £3,000 funding intended to support the recipients through the period October, November and December 2021.
Applications for this payment round opened on Friday 1st October and closed on 30th November 2021. Any issues with submitted applications must be resolved by 17th December 2021, failure to resolve to resolve issues by this date will result in the application being closed and no payment being made.
The Scheme offers financial support to eligible self-employed* applicants in the form of a grant payment.
*Self-employed is defined as:
Eligible applicants MUST declare that:
In the case of start-up businesses, which must have been in operation prior to 28th February 2020, an individual assessment will be made. Businesses which did not come into operation until after 28th February 2020 are ineligible under the Scheme.
Eligible applicants must operate in the following sectors:-
Travel and Tour Operators
With income derived wholly or mainly from such an operation, which has and continues to suffer at least 50% reduction in turnover as a direct result of the border restrictions.
Taxi and private car hire operators must generate more than 50% of their revenue from servicing the Sea Terminal and Ronaldsway Airport in order to be eligible.
Animal Care
"Animal Care" means a business carried on in the Island with income wholly or mainly from the keeping of animals in a boarding establishment which is licensed under the Animal Boarding Establishments (Isle of Man) Act 1973 and has, and continues to, suffer at least a 50% reduction in turnover as a direct result of the border restrictions.
This excludes operators who provide animal day care facilities.
General
Any business directly linked to the tourism and travel sector that can prove to the satisfaction of the Department's Chief Executive that it has and continues to suffer at least 50% reduction of turnover as a direct result of the border restrictions imposed due to COVID-19.
Tourist Accommodation Providers, with the exception of registered permanent campsites without glamping facilities, are ineligible under this Scheme but are encouraged to contact the Department's Visit Isle of Man Agency and enquire regarding the Strategic Capacity Scheme.
If you operate a business with more than one employee, excluding the business owner(s), please visit the Department's Financial Assistance Scheme guidelines and review appendix 10.
In order to qualify for the Scheme, applicants must:
a) Declare that the ongoing border restrictions, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, has caused a 50% reduction in turnover
b) Declare that more than 50% of their annual income is gained from tourism and travel activities
c) Declare that to the best of its knowledge, it is the intention of the business to continue trading through the current difficult conditions into at least the short to mid-term future and that if the business closes the grant may be repayable
d) Have been in operation continuously for a period that commenced no later than 28th February 2020
e) Have annual profits or gains wholly or mainly from a relevant sector as set out in this guidance
f) Declare that the individual or business does not have any overdue payments of more than 3 months which are more than £3,000 relating to Income Tax, National Insurance and VAT
g) Meet other Income Tax, NI and VAT compliance criteria
Additional criteria specifically for self-employed applicants:
h) Be a self-employed earner as defined by the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
i) Have already notified the Treasury under regulation 87 of the Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001 of their liability to pay Class 2 National Insurance Contributions or notified the Assessor of Income Tax of any income from self-employment
j) Earnings from self-employment must be greater than £6,500 per annum. Therefore the applicant must not have been granted a certificate of Small Earnings Exception or would have been granted such a certificate had an application to Treasury been made
k) In the event of the person's making an application to the Treasury for the purpose, not have his or her liability to pay Class 2 or Class 4 National Insurance contributions deferred or treated as deferred
l) For clarity notwithstanding that a person over state pension age is not liable to pay Class 1, Class 2 or Class 4 National Insurance contributions for the purposes of this scheme, therefore (j) and (k) apply to that person as though such a liability exists
m) When considering whether a self-employed person meets condition (i) above, Treasury will take into account the relevant facts and circumstances. In particular, an individual who has consistently declared their income from self-employment on their tax returns and paid the relevant income tax and class 4 national insurance contributions, will be treated for these purposes only as having notified the Treasury under regulation 87, even if their class 2 national insurance contribution record is currently incomplete
n) When considering whether a self-employed person meets condition (j) above, Treasury will take into account for these purposes only the fact that one of the purposes of this provision was to prevent those with other sources of income that are their main sources of income claiming the grant e.g. a person in full time employment who receives a small amount of self-employment income from a few hours worked as a sports coach. It was not intended to prevent those whose profits have dropped recently and their main source of income is their self-employment from qualifying.
Please note: Applications for Round 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 funding have now closed.
Applications for Round 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 funding have now closed.
Financial Support for Travel and Tourism Businesses Extended for Winter Season
