Rabobank invests in online mortgage broker Trussle January 20, 2020 Rabobank’s strategic investment arm, Rabo Frontier Ventures, has contributed to a £7.5m funding round in online mortgage broker Trussle. Rabo Frontier Ventures joined the latest round of funding alongside existing investors Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, Finch Capital and Propel Venture partners. The fresh round of funding brings Trussle’s total to £26.7m after the tech [...]
China repeats call for Canada to release Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou January 20, 2020 China called again on Canada today to release detained Huawei finance chief Meng Wanzhou as soon as possible ahead of an extradition hearing. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Canada should correct its “mistake” in arresting the executive, who is the daughter of Huawei chief executive Ren Zhengfei. “The resolve of the Chinese government to [...]
Gambling companies used schools data on 28m children January 19, 2020 UK betting companies have gained access to a database containing information on roughly 28m children in a huge breach of sensitive government data. The firms have used the trove of data, which contains names, ages and addresses of children aged 14 and above in schools and colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, to boost [...]
EY TaxChat: making Self Assessment quick, easy and cost effective January 17, 2020 | City Talk According to HMRC, 11.5m UK taxpayers were required to complete a Self Assessment return in 2019. EY research¹ shows that many worry about getting something wrong if they do it themselves (33 per cent) and find the process complicated and time consuming (15 per cent). A further 12 per cent also said they can’t afford [...]
How tax is transforming in the digital age January 17, 2020 | City Talk Driven by a desire for more revenue, greater efficiency and improved compliance in an atmosphere of shrinking resources, tax authorities are increasingly relying on digital tax data gathering and analysis — using digital platforms to facilitate real-time or near real-time collection and assessment of taxpayer data. This move toward tax “digitalisation” is allowing tax authorities [...]
EU could force Apple to ditch iPhone charger January 17, 2020 Apple could be forced to abandon the Lightning connector, as the European Parliament mulls the introduction of a common charger to fit all devices Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will debate the issue on Monday, calling for a charger that will “fit all mobile phones, tablets, e-book readers and other portable devices”. According to [...]
Google it: Alphabet hits $1 trillion landmark amid ad growth optimism January 17, 2020 Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has hit a landmark stock market valuation of $1 trillion (£760bn) for the first time. The company’s shares rose by 0.76 per cent yesterday, enough to make it the fourth US-listed company to hit the milestone. Shares ended the day valued at $1,450.16. Alphabet hit the valuation 22 years [...]
Amazon says UK tech tax could hit small businesses January 16, 2020 Amazon’s UK boss has played down concerns about a new tech tax, but warned the move could raise costs for small businesses using its platform. The government’s 11 March Budget is expected to include a digital services tax, which will charge a two per cent levy on the UK revenue of technology companies. Douglas Gurr, [...]
Sky boss calls for ‘urgency’ over social media regulation January 16, 2020 The UK should “inject some urgency” into its plans for a new internet regulator due to the societal damage caused by unchecked internet platforms, the boss of Sky has said. Jeremy Darroch called for ministers to tackle so-called online harms, warning that the “promise of self-regulation hasn’t worked”. “We only need to look back to [...]
British spooks ‘unlawfully collected data’ from telecoms firms January 16, 2020 The collection of communications data from telecoms firms by the UK’s security agencies breached EU law, a top lawyer has concluded. National security laws allow bodies such as MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to force mobile firms such as Vodafone and O2 to hand over data on customers. But in a preliminary opinion Campos Sanchez Bordona, [...]