Inca Clothing

Clothing was an important aspect in Inca society. Just looking at the dress of a person, status of that person in that society can be readily perceived. Though their costume initially was typical of that of all the Andean and coastal peoples, afterward they excelled on it. Archaeologist collected full information on Inca clothing as in imperial days it was enforced on the conquered populations. Grave finds and paints especially on pottery vessels provide enormous information on Inca costume.

General Trends

Naturally more and warmer clothing was worn in the highlands than on the coast. In the earliest periods the inhabitants of the former region had only wool, the latter only had cotton, but at a very early time trade made both materials available everywhere. These textile fibers, wool from the highlands and cotton from the coast- especially the former- were practically state monopolies and were regularly distributed to the people. Clothing everywhere consisted of woven or knitted textiles, and these were always worn whole, never cut or tailored; they were held together by large metal pins. The garments of the common people were of rather coarse textiles.

Inca Emperor.

Sapa Inca wore each cloth for only once. Afterwards the worn clothes were burnt. So you know, they need to supply lots of cloth for Sapa Inca. As you know "chosen women" were the ones who prepared clothes for Sapa Inca. So they had to remain busy on this purpose. Only the Inca could wear a headdress with his special fringe of gold and feathers. His headdress was of different kind: round his head was wreathed a turban of many colored folds, called the llautu, with a tasseled fringe, like that worn by the prince, but of a scarlet color, while two feathers of a rare and curious bird, called the coraquenque, placed upright in it, were the distinguishing insignia of royalty. His coat was covered with jewels and pieces of turquoise. Sapa Inca wore gold and jewelries on different parts of his body. He wore heavy gold shoulder pads and heavy gold bracelets and earrings. His earrings were so heavy that they pulled his earlobes down until they rested on his shoulder pads. His shoes were made of leather and fur. He wore a royal shield and a royal badge. The shield on his chest was engraved with a picture of the sun god and the badge was made of hummingbird feathers, framed with gold.

HMRC seizing assets of late paying businesses

A North West accountancy firm has warned small business owners that they should tighten their credit control management, as it has emerged that HMRC is increasingly resorting to asset seizures to tackle late paying businesses.

MD of Mitchell Charlesworth, David Darlington, said the number of occasions when HMRC has used its powers of distraint to seize the assets of late payers – overwhelming businesses – rose to more than 7000 in the last financial year, up from nearly 4,900 the previous year and 1,675 in the year before.

HMRC adopting a more aggressive approach

“These statistics show a far more aggressive attitude from HMRC and we do urge firms to tread with care,” he said. “HMRC is under greater pressure to raise cash as the Government seeks to make cuts and maximise tax revenue. If firms are worried about cash flow, and managing their relationship with HMRC, we advise taking professional advice at the earliest opportunity. Failure to get cash flow right, and failure to pay tax bills on time, could well result in your assets being seized. This could prove extremely disruptive and damaging to any business.”

Review your credit control management

Mr Darlington also advised small firms concerned about paying tax on time to review their credit control procedures.

“In terms of credit control there are a number of actions a firm can make to ensure cash flow is strong,” he said. “If HMRC is going to chase you harder and seize your assets then you need to chase your invoices harder. We advise checking the credit rating on all new and existing clients and customers to assess their health and performance. We then advise asking all clients to pay by standing order, or direct debit, rather than cheque so you have a nailed down payment date which cannot be pushed back. If a customer refuses to do this make clear what your payment terms are and consider suspending work or charging interest until payment is made.”

Set in place late payment procedures

Mr Darlington said it is further wise to have a set procedure for chasing payment as soon as the invoice has been sent.

“Check immediately with the customer it has received your invoice and ask when you can expect payment,” he said. “This lets them know you are on the case and are alert to any potential problems. It is critical that the client is aware that you are prepared to chase payment hard. That way they are more likely to pay your invoice before invoices which are not being chased.”

Small Business Administration

The Small Business Administration (SBA) contributes to the President’s economic agenda by helping entrepreneurs start, sustain, and grow small businesses and create jobs. SBA also helps families and businesses recover from physical disasters. The 2005 Budget for SBA supports small businesses with an increase in the availability of government-guaranteed capital, technical assistance to raise small businesses’ competitiveness, and improved contracting opportunities to sell products and services to the Federal Government. SBA is also improving customer service and administering programs more efficiently by implementing the President’s Management Agenda. Assistance for small businesses is not limited to SBA’s technical assistance and credit programs. Additional support is provided under the bipartisan tax relief enacted over the last three years. As a result, 23 million small business owners have benefited from lower marginal income tax rates and an increase in depreciation deductions for qualified investments