Budget nightmare: Wage growth drops to 1.8 per cent March 18, 2015 Wage growth fell to 1.8 per cent in the three months January, down from 2.1 per cent in the three months to December and way below expectations of 2.2 per cent. Excluding bonuses, that figure fell to 1.6 per cent. The figure, published this morning by the Office for National Statistics, will come as a [...]
Conservative Party attack ad slams Balls and Miliband’s time working in Gordon Brown’s Treasury March 18, 2015 Yesterday evening, on the eve of the Budget, the Tories launched a fresh attack ad lambasting Ed Miliband and Ed Balls for their time working as Treasury aides to Gordon Brown. The video features the two Eds beside Gordon Brown in 1997, shortly after Labour's historic landslide victory. The Tory ad argues the last Labour [...]
“No giveaways, no gimmicks”: Here comes George Osborne’s Budget 2015 March 18, 2015 George Osborne is set to outline a range of measures designed to reinforce his party's austerity message, while enticing as many voters as possible for May's election. The chancellor has promised "no giveaways, no gimmicks' in his final Budget of this parliament. So far, the government has hinted at Easter eggs for pensioners, in the [...]
Budget 2015: What to watch out for today March 17, 2015 WHO: GEORGE OSBORNE WHEN: 12.30PM TODAY WHERE: HOUSE OF COMMONS WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW A further shake up of pensions Over 55-year-olds who had previously been forced to buy an annuity will be able to sell it for a lump cash sum to use as they wish, instead of receiving the regular payouts, building on reforms from [...]
Budget 2015: Protestors go into the Crystal Maze to grab tax dodger cash March 17, 2015 Protestors donned costumes and recreated the classic Crystal Maze game in the heart of Westminster yesterday, as part of the campaign against tax dodging. Dressed as George Osborne, Danny Alexander, and Ed Balls, they posed with ministerial red boxes inside a glass dome, with fake bank notes flying around. The flying cash represented the money [...]
BDO: What we expect and hope for in today’s Budget March 17, 2015 Our tax policy over the past decade has largely ignored the UK’s mid-market businesses despite this section of the economy being a significant source of tax revenues and widely regarded as the engine room for future economic growth. This fact needs to be acknowledged, with more targeted reliefs and incentives aimed at stimulating this fundamental [...]
Budget 2015: We need a second wave of the consumer revolution to restore faith in capitalism March 17, 2015 Today, the chancellor presents his last Budget before the General Election. With limited room for tax giveaways, and a need to show that the Tories are on the side of the “little guy”, it’s time for the second wave of the British competition revolution – to arm consumers to take on big business. Ed Miliband’s [...]
Budget 2015: It’s George Osborne’s narrative that counts, not the details March 17, 2015 All eyes will be on George Osborne’s Budget today. An immense amount of media attention and serious commentary will be devoted to it. But do Budgets really matter? How much difference would it make if successive chancellors simply did nothing, apart from indexing various allowances and benefits in line with inflation? From time immemorial, British [...]
As the chancellor delivers the Budget today, could it be an election-winner for the Tories? March 17, 2015 Charles Lewington, managing director of Hanover Communications, says Yes The Budget will be rich in positive news – the deficit halved as a proportion of GDP, more people in work than ever, and improved economic growth. But don’t expect an immediate shift in Tory polling numbers. Changes to personal tax allowances and welfare caps will [...]
Budget 2015 vs Budget 2010: What are the vote-winners? March 17, 2015 It’s almost budget day in election year, the time for the Conservatives to dangle a few carrots and warn of a few essential sticks to come. But how different it this year’s budget to the Labour party’s swansong back in 2010? There are a few key differences and some glaring similarities. Tax evasion Osborne’s last [...]