Insolvencies to peak in 2010 as state props are withdrawn January 18, 2010 THE rate of corporate failures will accelerate in the second half of 2010 as government stimulus measures are unwound, insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor warned yesterday. The firm said 140,000 British companies suffered significant financial problems in the fourth quarter despite measures such as quantitative easing and the 2.5 per cent VAT cut. Begbies Traynor executive [...]
Businesses are not out of the woods just yet January 13, 2010 DAVID HUDSON LONDON HEAD OF CORPORATE INSOLVENCY, BAKER TILLY WHILE businesses fail during recessions, many also fail coming out, having spent the cash reserves during the hard times that they so crucially need when they have to grow again to serve a more confident customer base, against revitalised competition. The underlying message of Baker Tilly’s [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 5, 2010 WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING FINANCIAL TIMES ALWALEED’S CITI SHARES TO BOLSTER KINGDOM Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud, the Saudi investor, revealed on Tuesday that he plans to shore up the balance sheet of his investment vehicle by “donating” SR2.24bn (€416m) of shares in Citigroup into it. Prince Alwaleed said the initiative would [...]
CITY FIRMS SET TO ESCAPE SUPER TAX December 21, 2009 INDEPENDENT insurers, asset managers and stockbrokers in the City can breathe a sigh of relief today after the government ended almost a fortnight of tense speculation by confirming they will not be subject to its super-tax on bank bonuses. Under the new rules, which will still see banks charged at a rate of 50 per [...]
Q&A: UPDATED BANK BONUS TAX RULES December 21, 2009 Q.WHAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE ORIGINAL BANK BONUS TAX RULES? A.The main clarification put out by HM Revenue & Customs surrounds independent financial services firms such as asset managers, insurers and stockbrokers, which had all expressed concern about being potentially caught by the bonus levy. The government has now confirmed that such firms [...]
Rank demands £26m in overdue VAT payments from the tax authorities December 15, 2009 GAMING and bingo group Rank demanded £25.9m in overdue VAT payments from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) yesterday after a tribunal ruled again in its favour. The tribunal concluded that the group had been overcharged over their gaming machines between 2003 and 2005. Rank has now called for HMRC to repay the money within [...]
Tax rebate could ease UK out of recession December 6, 2009 A short-term tax rebate would help the UK out of recession, a report out today from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) think-tank will say. Ahead of Wednesday’s pre-Budget report, NIESR claimed a rebate of around one per cent of GDP would boost economic growth by 0.2 per cent next year. It [...]
Hexagon readjusts its forecasts downwards December 2, 2009 HEXAGON Human Capital reported yesterday that it has been over-optimistic in its cash flow forecasts and that the group now expects its full-year earnings to be below market expectations. Hexagon, which saw a stabilisation in its trading in recent months, announced that it was in default on previously arranged payments with the tax authorities as [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 26, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES US RETAILERS TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA ON “BLACK FRIDAY”US retailers will on Friday unleash a traditional barrage of post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping promotions, with the National Retail Federation expecting 134m Americans to head for the stores. This year however, the retailers have reinforced their traditional efforts with a new array of social-networking weapons including [...]
Pre-budget tax rises are likely to hit City workers November 24, 2009 WE HAVE all become accustomed to woe-filled stories about the economy. Last week’s headlines included news of a budget deficit of over £11bn for the month, or £87bn in the fiscal year to date. Attempts to bridge the gap through better enforcement of existing tax laws may not be helping – rumours suggest that HM [...]