July Budget 2015: From Constantine to Margaret Thatcher – a brief history of Sunday trading hours July 8, 2015 It’s what retailers have been fighting for for generations: when George Osborne takes to the despatch box today, he may finally do what his predecessors couldn’t: scrap the Sunday Trading Act. The idea is that small retailers, who are faced with increased competition from their 24-7 online rivals, will be given a few extra hours [...]
July Budget 2015: Here’s what analysts said about George Osborne’s slashed corporation tax and abolished non-dom status July 8, 2015 George Osborne promised that his would be a “budget for working people” as he presented the first Conservative Budget since 1996. But how did he deliver on this promise for the financial industry? And how has the industry received the Budget? Here’s what analysts and firms are saying. Osborne’s Budget included several points of particular [...]
July Budget 2015: George Osborne announces pay rise for Britons with “national living wage” July 8, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne has said he will introduce a compulsory "national living wage" for people aged over 25 as part of his July Budget. Osborne said today that the new "national living wage" will start next April at the rate of £7.20 per hour, before rising to £9 an hour by 2020. He said it means [...]
July Budget 2015: George Osborne biggest Budget winner as chancellor becomes favourite for next Tory leader July 8, 2015 George Osborne was the biggest winner of today's Budget, becoming the favourite to replace David Cameron as the next Tory leader. Odds on the chancellor becoming the next party leader fell to 5/2, overtaking London mayor Boris Johnson on the list of potential contenders, according to Ladbrokes. Read more: The Budget as it happened – [...]
Greece debt crisis: Alexis Tsipras promises reform as Greece makes third bailout request July 8, 2015 Greece has made a formal request for its third bailout and will implement tax and pension reforms as early as next week. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras promised "credible reforms" will be put forward in proposals to creditors on Thursday in return for a three-year bailout fund. "[Greece will] file new concrete proposals, credible reforms, [...]
July Budget 2015: From a new living wage to cutting the bank levy, the key policies that will affect UK businesses July 8, 2015 Today was Britain's first Conservative-only Budget in almost 20 years, and in it chancellor George Osborne revealed a series of policy changes that will affect UK companies Here are the key announcements he made in the business-friendly budget, and what they mean for the UK's companies. Cut to corporation tax The amount of corporation [...]
July Budget 2015: Tottenham’s new stadium, Lenigas departures and other stories that broke while you were distracted July 8, 2015 While offices up and down the country were tuned into the chancellor as they chomped down on his new Budget this lunchtime, a number of other companies took the opportunity to quietly slip some news under the radar that you may have missed. The announcement of the Budget is one of the most heavily covered [...]
July Budget 2015: Northern Powerhouse boost as George Osborne promises “seamless Oyster-style” ticket system for travel across region July 8, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne promised to put the “power into the Northern Powerhouse” as he presented his Summer Budget today, presenting a promise that is sure to cheer commuters. Train travel in the north of England is about to get a “seamless Oyster-style” ticketing system across the region (and yes, pun-happy tweeters have already coined the [...]
July Budget 2015: Buy-to-let landlords hit as George Osborne restricts mortgage tax relief and hikes rent a room allowance July 8, 2015 George Osborne has cut mortgage interest relief on buy-to-let homes, in an effort to create a "level playing field" between prospective landlords and those buying their homes to live in. Read more: Chancellor slashes corporation tax and bank levy The chancellor said the relief will be cut to the basic rate of income tax, which [...]
Summer Budget 2015: Barclays, HSBC, RBS share prices rise as Osborne reveals levy will be ditched July 8, 2015 Banks share prices lifted this afternoon as George Obsorne confirmed the levy would be phased out over the next six years. In a move widely seen as looking to sway HSBC, Standard Chartered et al from leaving the UK, Osborne's first all-Tory Budget confirmed that the levy would be cut gradually until 2022. Instead [...]