Budget 2021: Government invests in road and railway, as APD for domestic flights goes down October 27, 2021 In his Autumn Budget speech, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set out the funding for the transport sector, focusing on road and rail improvements as well as lowering air passenger duty (APD) taxes on domestic flights. To level up the country’s “uneven economic geography”, the Chancellor is allocating £130bn for infrastructure investments such as road, railway [...]
Budget 2021: Government to launch new Scaleup visa for high-skilled workers early next year October 27, 2021 In today’s Autumn Budget announcement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government will introduce a new Scaleup visa to attract highly skilled people from abroad to the UK’s fastest-growing businesses. The new visa plans will “make it quicker and easier for fast-growing businesses to bring in highly skilled individuals from around the world,” Sunak said. He pointed [...]
Budget 2021: Alcohol duty to be overhauled as spirit duty hike cancelled October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set out a five-step plan to overhaul alcohol duty, speaking at the Budget. The current system is “outdated, complex and full of historical anomalies”. The number of main duty rates will be cut from 15 to six with an aim to “end the era of cheap, high-strength drinks.” Drinks are to [...]
Budget 2021: Hospitality and retail to get 50 per cent discount on business rates October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a one-year 50 per cent business rates discount for retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. Any eligible business in these sectors can claim a discount of up to 50 per cent up to a maximum of £110,000 – a business tax cut worth almost £1.7bn. Under reforms, system property valuations would [...]
Green Budget 2021: Net zero strategy to receive around £11.4bn in new funding October 27, 2021 The government is set to inject more than £11.4bn in new funding into its net zero strategy, according to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Autumn Budget today. The fresh capital will go towards “the new, green industries of the future”, Sunak said this afternoon. “We are making this country a science and technology superpower”. It will mean [...]
Budget 2021: Sunak pushes back R&D £22bn spending goals by two years October 27, 2021 In today’s budget announcement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government will funnel “unprecedented funding” into innovation, increasing R&D spending to £20bn a year by the end of this parliament in 2024 – but this is down from his previous commitment in March of £22bn per year. Sunak has erred on the side of caution by [...]
Budget: UK to invest £850m to protect museums, galleries, libraries and local culture October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the government will be investing £850m to protect museums, galleries, libraries, and local culture.
Budget 2021: UK to return to offering 0.7 per cent of national income in foreign aid October 27, 2021 True to his promise, chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the UK will return to offering 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) in overseas aid over the next four years. The spending will grow from the 0.5 per cent rate it is now before the parliament’s end in 2024, earlier than the office for [...]
Budget 2021: Levy for property developers to fund removal of unsafe cladding October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has reiterated plans for a levy for property developers to help create a fund to remove unsafe cladding. Speaking at the Budget, Sunak said property developers with profits over £25m will face a levy at a rate of 4 per cent. This will be used to help create a £5bn fund to [...]
Budget 2021: Sunak extends HGV road user levy until 2023 October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the HGV road user levy will be suspended until 2023. It was initially suspended until August in 2022, but this will now be extended for a further year. Speaking at the Budget, Sunak also revealed the government is freezing vehicle excise duty for HGVs. The Road Haulage Association welcomed [...]