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The Musicians’ Answering Service Newsletter, November 1996 ‘The Service That Does As It’s Told’
173 High Street Dorking Surrey
RH4 1AD Diary Service: 01306
880669 Accounts: 10306 880404 Fax: 01306 888041
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MAS Staffing We are sorry to say goodbye to Danielle who, after two
and a half years of support to us and our clients has decided to widen her
portfolio by studying some new skills. Unfortunately Rachel, who returned to
us part-time after starting her family; has found the commitment too demanding
coupled with the travelling from Twickenham, so sadly we are to see her go
too. We are currently interviewing for two more full-time members to replace
Danielle and Rachel which will give Isobel a little more breathing space to
carry out her managerial duties. To recap, staff coverage and names are as follows : Mon - Fri 8am - Midnight 3 Operators on at any given time Sat & Sun Sam - Midnight 2 Operators on at any given time Isobel (Manager) Alison Helen Ann Louise Celia Madeleine New MAS Dedicated Fax
Line More and more Clients are updating their diaries by fax
and fixers are booking in the same way. To support this trend we have
installed a fax machine dedicated to MAS. The new number is 01306 888041. Please
change your pre-programmed buttons etc to accommodate this new number as
faxes arriving on this machine are directly accessed by the diary staff. Please
help us to help you. Staff Night Out As we do every year, we are taking the staff out for a
boozy meal to say thank you for all the hard work they have done over the
year. This means that on Saturday 21st December the Diary Service will have
to close down at 5pm for the occasion as we don't want any of them to be
missing out. Christmas & New
Year Closing Times Saturday
21st December (Staff Night Out) Closed
from 8.00pm Tuesday
24th December (Christmas Eve) Closed
from 4.00pm Wednesday
25th to Saturday 29th December Closed Sunday
29th December Re-open 8.00am Tuesday
31st December (New Year's Eve) Closed
from 4.00pm Wednesday
1st January (New Year's Day) Closed Thursday
2nd January Re-open 8.00am CV Listing Be warned, a CV Listing update is going out to all the
fixers and orchestral managers in mid December. If you with to be included in
the listing or update your CV from a previous listing, the copy deadline is
7th December so hurry up and let us have your CV's now. This reference manual is becoming more and more useful
to fixers as time goes on. Consider very carefully whether this service could
be appropriate for you. If you have any doubts please give me a ring. I am
very happy to talk it through with you. Remember it is not just applicable to
people new to the Diary Service or new to the freelance world. We have very
many established players included and what is more IT IS FREE! A Little Prejudice
Towards Women As there is a lot of prejudice against women in the
profession we thought we would create a little for women to help balance the
books. It is now the policy here at MAS to give a free quarter to any of our
female clients about to have a baby. If
you are about to have a baby, let us know - we will give you a free quarter while you get over it - does it really only take
three months?! Any Ideas? Have you got any interesting news or ideas you think
may be of interest to our clients? If so please write in to "The
Editor", MAS Newsletter, 173 High Street, Dorking, Surrey
RH4 IAD. We cannot guarantee if or when your contributions will
appear but we do guarantee to read them all and include those that we are
able. Please note The Editor's decision is final.
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Wanted! Promises for Auction! An 'Auction of Promises' will he held early in 1997 to
raise money for the Clarence Adoo Trust Fund.
Examples of promises which might be donated for auction are: "I promise you" Two tickets for a (specific) show/concert A
date with Arnold Schwaznegger Three
bottles of next year's homemade gooseberry wine A
trip to Le Touquet in my light aircraft or "I promise to" Be your slave for the day Give
you a tap dancing lesson Spend
a day gardening for you Come
to your house and cook a gourmet meal for four people, etc. etc. Any promises you make will then be auctioned during an
evening (date and venue to be decided) where as many "bidders" as
possible bid for the services and item; offered. If you feel able to donate a
promise (of any description) please write or phone Jo I teasel, 59 Mayfield
Road, Walthamstow; London. E17 5RH 0181 523 5328 with details of the exact
nature of your pledge and a contact address and telephone number. You will be
sent details of the auction nearer the event. Please pass on this Information
to anyone who you think may have a promise to offer! Please Come and
'Visit Don't be shy - cease and say hello! It is great for us
to meet in person the clients we usually only talk to on the phone. Dorking
may seem the other end of the universe but it is only 44 minutes away from
Waterloo or Victoria or about the same in the car from central London. if we know you are coming we will do you proud with wine
and food in abundance. Please contact me on 01306 880669 to arrange the date.
You will not be disappointed I assure you. We really enjoy meeting the faces
behind the voices. Mobile News You are all no doubt await of
the dynamic discounts and free accessories with Orange that PMC are now offering
to the music profession. Please set the enclosed leaflet for details of their
latest projects, services and products. PMC will advise You of the least expensive
route to your mobile requirements. Their strict policy is that honesty comes
before sales. Contact PMC on telephone number 01306 740077 Financial 'rips Critical Illness
Cover - Musicians Insuring Against Survival. Every musician should at the very least have
sufficient protection to pay off their mortgage if they contract cancer, have
a heart attack or suffer from other forms of critical illness. The mortgage
should also be paid off if you become permanently disabled in the event of a
car crash. Critical Illness Cover pays out the full sum assured
(usually a tax free lump sum) in the event of most types of critical illness
being diagnosed, irrespective of the prognosis. The statistics stated below
are quite startling: - One in three
people in Britain will bane cancer diagnosed at some time during their life.
Some of the most common cancers are also the most survivable. - A healthy man
or woman stands a I in 5 chance of suffering a critical
illness before reaching age 65. - 1 in 5 healthy
women will contract cancer before age 65; 70% will survive the cancer for
more than one year and 50% for more than fine years. - 1 in 9 healthy
men will contract cancer before age 65; 50% will survive the cancer for more
than one year and 30% for more than fete years. The majority of insurance companies increase the
premiums to musicians for the disability cover. This is because musicians in
general make more claims than your average man in the street. However, Graeme
Blair Financial Planning has once again arranged with one insurer a contract
on standard ordinary terms. The contact also includes free cover for children
under the age of 18. For more information contact Robert Turret] on 01732
743092. Tax Tips - Self
Assessment - Further Updates The self assessment regime is now almost upon us. The
purpose of this article is to highlight the major difference in the new system
and the major pitfalls awaiting the unwary taxpayer. The first self
assessment returns, for the year ended 5th April 1997, will be issued in
April 1997 and must be returned to the Inland Revenue by 31st January 1998 if
the automatic £l03 penalty is to be avoided. Unlike existing returns, the
self assessment return includes a calculation of liability which the taxpayer
or his agent is expected to complete. It is possible to have the Inland
Revenue calculate the liability provided the return is made no later than
30th September following the end of the year assessment. It will be possible
to amend the return within one year of submission, provided it was originally
sent in on time and that the Inland Revenue has not started an enquiry.
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Payment of tax : Taxpayers will normally make two payments on
account on the 31st January within the tax year and on 31st July after the
end of the tax year. As all self-employed taxpayers trill now be assessed on
a current year basis, a significant number will have to pay estimated amounts
on 31st January and 31st July. A final payment will then be made at the time
the self assessment return is sent. the Inland Revenue have stated that they
intend issuing a taxpayer with a statement, similar to a credit card
statement, showing tax liabilities including interest and penalties, less any
payments made, leaving the balance due. Interest and Penalties : There is a range of penalties which are
intended to encourage compliance. These include interest on all late
payments, a fixed surcharge on late payments of tax due with a return, a
fixed penalty for late returns and a variable penalty for incorrect returns.
Self assessment was heralded as a government initiative reducing red tape
with the aim of cutting down the burdens placed on small business! For further
information call : Mike Harding, Harding Whiteman, 36
Rose Hill, Sutton, Surrey SM1 3EU Tel : 0181 641 0102 Fax : 0181 641 4002
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