Cyber Monday UK 2014: A great day for online shoppers – and for internet crime November 30, 2014 Today is Cyber Monday, the busiest online shopping day in the retail calendar, as consumers continue to cash in on Black Friday discounts and get their Christmas orders in. With consumers expecting fast turnarounds of online purchases, retailers will no doubt be concerned about supply chains and channels to market – one wrong move could [...]
Could Cameron’s pledge for tougher action on immigrant welfare push Britain to an EU exit? November 30, 2014 Alisdair McIntosh is director of Business for New Europe, says Yes. David Cameron is right to recognise the value of EU membership to the economy, but his policies raise concerns. Free movement of people is fundamental to the EU, and large-scale changes may prove impossible. Some of his proposals, like barring migrants from in-work benefits [...]
Further devolution is great news for Scotland: Now it’s London’s turn November 27, 2014 THE AGREED conclusion of the Smith Commission into further devolution for Scotland is excellent news – real power to tax and spend, including responsibility over income tax rates and bands, is now set to be wielded by the Scottish Parliament. Now it’s London’s turn. The capital is the UK’s economic powerhouse, providing a staggering £34bn [...]
Cost of complexity: Britain’s tax relief chaos is even overwhelming HMRC November 27, 2014 HOW CAN HMRC be expected to administer Britain’s chaotic tax system if politicians keep passing so much legislation? Despite George Osborne frequently stating his preference for simpler taxes, last year’s Finance Bill was the second longest ever at 646 pages. There have only been five Finance Acts longer than 600 pages, and the coalition is [...]
Failure to reform Europe’s capital markets will blunt the UK’s entrepreneurial edge November 27, 2014 BRITAIN has long regarded itself as having a certain entrepreneurial flair that sets it apart from its continental cousins. And now it’s official. The recently released annual Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index placed Britain fourth in the world, and well ahead of its European neighbours. The ugly truth, however, is that Britain’s entrepreneurial edge will [...]
As the European Parliament votes to break up Google, is it politicising competition law? November 27, 2014 Philip Booth, professor of insurance and risk management at Cass, and editorial and programme director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says Yes. Taking competition action against innovative industries is bad policy – unless the EU wants a stagnant economy. Google is operating in a sector where change happens very quickly, and dominant firms that [...]
Migrant entrepreneurs are shunning the UK – and we are all worse off as a result November 26, 2014 DEPUTY prime minister Nick Clegg has finally joined what shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has described as an “arms race of rhetoric” on immigration, backing proposals to curb benefits to European Union migrants. He does, however, remain opposed to restrictions on the right of EU citizens to move freely and seek work within the UK, [...]
We need to talk money: Why it’s time to break this damaging British taboo November 26, 2014 MANY of my recent articles – on elderly care provision, student finance, and housing in particular – have focused on these problems from the point of view of public policy. But this is only one half of the story. The other half is how ordinary people have to grapple with these serious financial issues every [...]
What do Emily Thornberry and the deficit have in common? It’s all about narrative November 26, 2014 EMILY Thornberry has had a wretched week. The high-flying MP for Islington South resigned from her position as shadow attorney general, and was widely pilloried in both social media and conventional newsprint, for tweeting a picture of a white van and England flags during the Rochester and Strood by-election. Yet the saga tells us more [...]
Is the proposed £25m pay package for new BG Group chief executive Helge Lund defensible? November 26, 2014 Alex Edmans, a finance professor at London Business School and Wharton, says Yes. Compared to the pay of ordinary workers, £25m is an astronomical figure. But the correct benchmark is the value Helge Lund may create. BG Group’s market cap is £35bn, and it’s fallen 18 per cent this year. If he restores just 1 [...]