Budget 2016: Chancellor George Osborne considering raising 40p threshold and slashing top rate from 45p to 40p March 6, 2016 Chancellor George Osborne could hand middle and higher income earners a big tax break next week by increasing the threshold for paying the higher rate of tax. Osborne is reportedly considering increasing the amount people have to earn before they start paying the higher 40p tax rate to £43,000 from the current threshold of £42,385 [...]
EU referendum: Brexit would be “poison”, says German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble March 6, 2016 The United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union would be "poison" for the UK, European and global economy, the German finance minister has warned. If the UK votes for Brexit, Wolfgang Schäuble said, "we would have years of the most difficult negotiations, which would be difficult for the EU as well. For years we would have [...]
EU referendum: Remain retakes the lead in referendum campaign, according to new poll March 6, 2016 When Prime Minister David Cameron returned from Brussels having secured agreement on his reforms, the odds looked to be stacking up against him on whether or not he would be able to convince the British public to remain in the EU. A number of ministers came out in support of Brexit, many MPs slated his reforms [...]
US Presidential Election 2016 odds: Ted Cruz and Donald Trump looking for “one-on-one” battle, while Bernie Sanders snatches two states from Hillary Clinton in primaries and caucuses March 6, 2016 Republican candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have emerged from the latest round of state voting as the two frontrunners for the nomiation, leading Trump to call for a "one-on-one" battle with Cruz and urging other rivals to bow out of the race. Trump narrowly beat Cruz in Louisiana and Kentucky, while Cruz convincingly defeated [...]
EU referendum: Most UK businesses are not prepared for a Brexit, despite many worrying about what changes a vote to leave on 23 June would bring March 3, 2016 A worrying number of businesses could be thrown into panic post-23 June, as many have no plan of action ready for if Britain votes to leave the EU. A study published today by professional services firm Grant Thornton discovered that two-thirds (65 per cent) of businesses have done no preparation at all for a potential [...]
EU referendum: City of London Corporation signs off on campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU March 3, 2016 The City of London Corporation has today signed off on supporting Britain remaining in the European Union, rejecting calls from Corporation members and other City leaders to remain neutral in the run-up to the EU referendum on 23 June. According to a statement issued this afternoon, the Corporation's main decision-making body, the Court of Common [...]
Confederation of British Industry director general Carolyn Fairbairn hits out at Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie after he called the CBI’s EU figures “scandalous” March 3, 2016 Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director general Carolyn Fairbairn has hit back after MPs said it was "scandalous" and "intellectually dishonest" for the pro-EU "Stronger In" campaign to be referencing CBI research. In a letter to Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie today, Fairbairn said CBI research had been "misrepresented" during a committee hearing yesterday. Former [...]
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insists that Labour and British businesses are “natural allies” while slamming the City of London March 3, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has used his first major speech to a business audience since taking the reins of the Labour party last year to insist that his party and British businesses are "natural allies". "In the twenty-first century the role of government is to understand these connections and make policy to fit," Corbyn said in a speech at the [...]
EU referendum: British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) boss John Longworth says Brexit would make Britain better off March 3, 2016 Britain would be better off outside of the European Union, British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) director-general John Longworth has said, becoming the first major business group leader to back Brexit. "With the reforms that we have received so far, the UK would be better off taking a decision to leave the European Union," Longworth told [...]
EU referendum: Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis says Mayor of London Boris Johnson is right about lack of democracy in the EU March 3, 2016 Mayor of London Boris Johnson is right in stating the European Union has a democratic deficit, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has said. While Varoufakis wants the UK to stay in the EU, he said that when Johnson declared support for Brexit "he said, quite correctly, that Brussels is suffering from a serious lack [...]