UK Finance chief: Labour must keep its promise that the bank tax is temporary Opinion Taxes introduced in response to temporary pressures have a habit of outlasting them. Labour must keep its promise on the bank tax, writes David Postings.
Healey’s self-assessment tax shakeup could lead to ‘brutal cash crunch’ for self-employed Tax Chancellor John Healey’s decision to overhaul the self-assessment tax system has sparked concerns among tax advisers, as they question whether this will harm Britain’s self-employed. Healey confirmed in his maiden Autumn Budget that the government will change how income tax self-assessment (ITSA) taxpayers make their Payments on Accounts. Payments on Account are advance payments made [...]
Gherkins and guffawing: Watching my first Budget, an idiot’s blow-by-blow account Life&Style Culture writer Adam Bloodworth tried to watch the Budget 2026 in full. From the famous 4p off gherkins to the pantomime jibes, he struggled to keep pace with the childish politicians I am an alien in the City AM office. While the other journalists concern themselves with taxation and business rates, I am writing about [...]
Healey’s ‘bizarre’ pension tax shield to hit thousands of retirees with 53 per cent tax rate October 29, 2026 Hundreds of thousands of low-income pensioners are set to pay an effective 53 per cent tax rate on part of their retirement income, under new rules introduced by John Healey in his maiden Budget. The Chancellor confirmed he will shield low-income pensioners from income tax as the state pension is set to rise above the [...]
‘What breathing space?’ Top economist and Labour MP debate the Budget October 29, 2026 Moments after John Healey sat down in the Commons, the City AM studio was filling up with guests to chew over what we’d just heard. Our columnist Helen Thomas, aka Blonde Money, joined Editor Christian May and Comment Editor Alys Denby to discuss the economic context and political impact, before it fell to Labour’s Callum [...]
As it happened: WPP leads FTSE higher as market digests ‘do no harm’ Budget October 29, 2026 Welcome to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Thursday morning and stocks are set to rise on the market open. Investors will be picking through John Healey’s maiden Budget throughout the day, which pushed up shares in banks and gambling firms after they were spared worse tax raids. The FTSE 100 closed level on Wednesday [...]
Autumn Budget 2026: ‘Steady as she goes’ is no good when the economy’s adrift October 29, 2026 John Healey avoided several icebergs but there are nasty storms on the horizon, says William Nixon The Chancellor opened his speech by claiming the Budget would help “steer” the UK’s economy through “global economic storms”. He can be commended for avoiding the twin icebergs of major new tax hikes and pre-Budget speculation that sank Rachel [...]
Another all-time-high tax burden? Business as usual then October 29, 2026 The Autumn Budget has paved away for an all-time-high tax burden, but isn't that just what we all expect now, writes Valentin Boboc.
‘Smoke and mirrors’: Why high street still faces a £250m tax hike under Healey October 29, 2026 Andy Burnham propelled himself to Downing Street by pledging a revival of Britain’s struggling high streets. Felix Armstrong asks: has John Healey delivered it? Among the sectors clamouring for John Healey’s attention ahead of his maiden Budget, none were louder than those calling for the government to revitalise Britain’s ailing high street retailers. Shuttered shops, [...]
A breathing space Budget? This is asphyxiation October 29, 2026 If there were treats in John Healey’s pre-Halloween Budget they were hidden in a gloopy soup of tricks. Forget the talk about a low-key, ‘do no harm’ fiscal event; the Chancellor has delivered a mess of new interventions, subsidies, tax rises, quangos and complications against a backdrop of truly terrifying economic forecasts. Let’s start with [...]