HMRC publishes draft legislation designed to extend tax evasion offences to companies who failed to prevent it happening December 9, 2015 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) today published the results of its consultation, alongside draft legislation, for a proposed criminal offence for companies which fail to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion. The draft legislation lays down provisions for a criminal offence where somebody who is performing services on behalf of a company commits tax evasion. [...]
End of austerity? Not according to Cambridge Dictionaries’ people’s word of the year 2015 December 9, 2015 If you thought it was the end of austerity, think again. It's the word people searched for most often and most regularly on Cambridge Dictionaries online and has been crowned "people's" word of the year by their researchers. It was apparently the "clear front runner", appearing on its weekly most searched list at five separate times throughout [...]
Brazil’s inflation hits 12-year high as food prices climb December 9, 2015 Brazil’s annual inflation rose to 10.5 per cent for November, marking a 12-year high on the back of a spike in food prices and the rising cost of electricity. This higher-than-expected figure for consumer prices marks an increase from October, when the country's inflation stood at 9.9 per cent, and September, when it was 9.5 per cent. Brazil's [...]
Brent crude oil prices steady after yesterday’s sell-off December 9, 2015 Oil prices recovered losses this morning, drawing a line under two days of turmoil prompted by indecision from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Brent crude oil prices, the global benchmark, rose 1.1 per cent at $40.70 per barrel this morning, while US West Texas Intermediate jumped 1.6 per cent at $38.05 per barrel. [...]
Government pledges world class train services to boost Northern Powerhouse as it awards contracts to Arriva Rail North and First Trans Pennine Express December 9, 2015 The government has promised to deliver world class train services for passengers in Scotland and the north with "unprecedented" packages of improvements being lined up. The Department for Transport has pledged to introduce more than 500 brand-new carriages, the removal of the outdated and unpopular Pacer trains, room for 40,000 extra passengers at the busiest [...]
UK manufacturing in terminal decline as growth rate revised down through to 2017 December 9, 2015 The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has downgraded its UK gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for the year to 2.4 per cent, from a previous prediction of 2.6 per cent. At the same time its scaled back expectations for the next to years with 2016 and 2017 now both forecast for 2.5 per cent [...]
World Bank: East Asia needs ‘womb-to-tomb’ policies to deal with ageing population and shrinking workforce December 9, 2015 East Asia needs to introduce ‘womb-to-tomb’ policies to deal with the decline in the labour force and higher public spending that will come with an ageing population, the World Bank has warned today. By 2040, the number of working-age adults could fall by more than 15 per cent in Korea and over 10 per cent [...]
Half of finance leaders predict struggles with hiring staff in the new year, with risk, compliance and governance professionals being in particularly high demand December 9, 2015 Half of UK senior finance professionals expect their business to have more difficulties attracting and retaining key talent in 2016 than they did this year. In a study published today by specialist accountancy and finance recruiter Savant Recruitment, over 80 per cent of those interviewed said they thought they would struggle to recruit risk, compliance and governance [...]
UK house prices: Most landlords to hold rents in first half of 2016 as price growth slows December 9, 2015 Rents on new tenancies agreed over the three months to November fell in most areas of the country, according to research from HomeLet that also suggests nine in 10 landlords do not intend to raise existing rents in the first six months of the year. The insurance provider’s latest rental index shows rents on new [...]
UK property listings drop by a fifth in November as London scores zero December 9, 2015 New property listings dropped by more than a fifth across the UK in November, with not one London borough recording a rise in supply, new research shows. The number of new homes on the market dropped by 21.5 per cent, according to the latest Property Supply Index by online estate agents HouseSimple.com, marking the biggest drop [...]