Budget 2015 summary: Here are all the personal finance pledges George Osborne made today March 18, 2015 There were the usual tears and tantrums as chancellor George Osborne stepped up to the despatch box earlier today, to deliver a Budget speech geared largely towards savers, pensioners and first-time buyers. In the end, it was the "savings revolution" that made the headlines – with new rules on Isas and savings among a raft [...]
Budget 2015 Beer duty calculator: How much tax will you save on a pint this year after Osborne’s 1p cut? March 18, 2015 Penny off a pint? George Osborne knows how to keep the pub-going public happy. For the third year in a row, the chancellor has cut beer duty, keeping the good times rolling for the pub industry. A single penny cut may not sound much, but breweries and pubs are toasting the news. Along with the [...]
Budget 2015 interactive: Friends of the north? Unemployment mapped in every constituency March 18, 2015 On budget day, George Osborne offered a hand to the north of England. The Conservative party would, he said, build a Northern powerhouse, and, in fact they had already started. Employment and jobs the chancellor added, have grown faster in the north of England than the south. ONS tables comparing the three months to the [...]
Budget 2015: Who were the winners and losers? March 18, 2015 Winners Pubs and drinkersThe Budget will be a boon for the country's pubs, bars and restaurants, as well the drinkers who frequent them. Beer duty was cut buy one penny per pint while duty on both cider and whisky received a two per cent cut. Meanwhile, the tax on wine and tobacco will also be [...]
Budget 2015: Osborne’s two kitchens joke just cost bookies with biggest ever Budget buzzword bingo bet payout March 18, 2015 Everyone loves playing a bit of buzzword bingo on Budget day – except for bookies this year. Punters are the first big winners of Osborne’s pre-election giveaway and Ladbrokes the losers, as the bookies is having to make its largest ever payout on Budget buzzword bets. Osborne’s gag about two kitchens – referencing an Ed [...]
Budget 2015: Here’s why the Help to Buy Isa is a terrible idea March 18, 2015 One of the more eye-catching announcements in George Osborne's Budget was the unveiling of a "Help to Buy" Isa. Not leaked beforehand, Osborne said first-time buyers will receive a helping hand from the government to get on the property ladder. For every £200 saved by first-time buyers, the taxpayer will chip in another £50. Those who [...]
Budget 2015: How does the first time buyer Help-to-Buy Isa work? Here’s everything you need to know March 18, 2015 Poor saving returns, slow wage growth, and high house prices make getting on to the property ladder tricky. But there's finally some good news for prospective first time buyers, in the form of a "Help to Buy Isa" (Help-to-Buy-sa?), announced by the chancellor today. But how does it work? For every £200 an individual squirrels [...]
Budget 2015: “Saving revolution” as Osborne pledges first-time buyer Isa March 18, 2015 George Osborne unveiled a Budget aimed at helping savers, first time buyers and pensioners today, with measures including a "Help to Buy Isa". Under the new rules, the government will contribute £50 for each £200 saved by first-time buyers. Savers who put away £12,000 could stand to make as much as £3,000 Just before he [...]
Budget 2015: City hit by Google tax and bank levy hike March 18, 2015 The government's bank levy will be increased by 0.21 per cent, in an effort to raise £900m, the chancellor announced today. The measures were being taken so banks "make a bigger contribution to the repair of our public finances", George Osborne said during his Budget speech. Lenders will also be prevented from offsetting PPI compensation [...]
Budget 2015: The stories that broke during George Osborne’s speech March 18, 2015 The announcement of the UK government’s annual budget is one of the biggest dates in the financial calendar. City hacks' ears were tuned into George Osborne’s speech this lunchtime, as eyes were glued to Twitter for all the breaking hot takes on the chancellor’s tie colour and fingers were madly typing away to produce a [...]