Corporation tax: Why it’s workers who really pay when we squeeze firms March 17, 2014 WHEN One Direction (1D) weighed in on the corporation tax debate, calling on their fans to pressure George Osborne into “cracking down on company tax avoidance”, it was the clearest indication yet that business tax has become a popular issue. But what has not filtered through to the public debate is the question of who [...]
Letters to the Editor – 17/03 – Science startups, Best of Twitter March 16, 2014 Science startups [Re: Why Britain’s scientists are failing at business, Friday] Tim Farron is right to highlight some of the challenges facing all entrepreneurs in this country, but the idea that Britain’s scientific community is failing at business is simply not accurate. Reports estimate that UK universities produced more than 3,000 companies in 2011. And [...]
Letters to the Editor – 14/03 – Splitting debts, Best of Twitter March 13, 2014 Splitting debts [Re: The big independence lie: Scotland could keep the pound, Wednesday] Is Scotland walking away from its “share” of UK debt really that absurd? Did the Baltic states take any Russian debt after the breakup of the Soviet Union? No. Of course, independence supporters have proposed that Scotland would indeed take on its [...]
Osborne’s wrong: Government investment doesn’t equal growth March 13, 2014 IF I wanted to come home with a 60 inch plasma TV tomorrow, I might try to persuade Mrs Knox that it was an “investment”. She would rightly say, maybe rather forcefully, that this was not an investment since, as there could be no possible financial return, this was just spending. So a few weeks [...]
Three killer business tips from Buffy the Vampire Slayer March 13, 2014 SEVENTEEN years ago this week, a stake-wielding schoolgirl redefined the possibilities of popular entertainment. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a misfire in its earlier, cinematic incarnation, but Joss Whedon’s television version immediately marked itself out as something extraordinary. Its premise was absurd: demons and vampires battled by an all-American teen with special Slayer powers. But [...]
Why Britain’s scientists are failing at business March 13, 2014 THE UK represents just 0.9 per cent of the world’s population, but accounts for 3.2 per cent of its scientific expenditure, 4.1 per cent of its researchers, and 15.9 per cent of its most highly-cited articles. The UK ranks first in research quality, as measured by field-weighted citation impact, beating some of the most research-intensive [...]
Letters to the Editor – 13/03 – Made in Britain, Co-op damage, Best of Twitter March 12, 2014 Made in Britain [Re: British manufacturing’s long decline could be about to end, yesterday] I run a mid-sized contract manufacturing business, and I am busy this weekend transferring production back from China for a good customer. It’s not primarily because of cost or logistics – the product is mostly sold in the US. Manufacturing jobs [...]
Why Labour’s flawed EU policy won’t achieve what business wants March 12, 2014 ED MILIBAND’S speech yesterday was a welcome intervention in the EU debate. But it didn’t go nearly far enough to address the deep-rooted concerns British businesses have with the EU. The Labour leader claimed the Prime Minister’s pledge to hold an In/Out referendum after renegotiation created business uncertainty. But that’s nothing compared to Miliband’s strategy, [...]
Miliband has reduced Brexit risks – now we can work on EU reform March 12, 2014 BUSINESSES want two things from government: clarity about policy, and certainty about the business environment. This is particularly true on an issue as crucial to Britain’s economy as our place in the European Union. That’s why business leaders have been so worried about the shifting sands of debate on a possible EU referendum. The great [...]
Forget Nordic socialism: Welfare didn’t make Scandinavia rich March 12, 2014 THE NORDIC economic model, followed by Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark, has long been divisive. The Left exalts it and the Right tries to forget about it. Unfortunately, the debate has long created more heat than light. It needn’t. If you argue that smaller government is one of the key routes to a bigger economy, [...]