Delaying estate planning could cost affluent Brits over £12bn Personal Finance Brits who are putting off dealing with their estate planning could lose over £12bn in preventable inheritance tax from April 2027, as more middle-income earners brace to be ensnared in the tax net. Families who are in the top decile of UK wealth who do not begin estate planning until they are 70 could fail [...]
Wes Streeting’s capital gains tax plan risks ‘disrupting’ growth Politics Wes Streeting’s plans to align capital gains taxes while introducing an investment allowance could be “disruptive” for growth as City advisers have become divided over the benefits of sweeping reforms. Streeting told the BBC last week that he backed a plan, first proposed by the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (Centax) and later adopted [...]
‘Economically reckless’ – Streeting calls for wealth tax ‘that works’ in pitch for leadership Politics Wes Streeting has called for a “wealth tax that works” as the former health secretary sets out his stall ahead of an expected Labour leadership contest later this year. Streeting resigned from the cabinet earlier this month and has confirmed that he would stand in a contest to oust Sir Keir Starmer, though he has [...]
JCB billionaire to hand reins to youngest son in blow to apparent heir May 16, 2026 The boss of JCB has named his younger son as his heir to the business, instead of his elder son and presumed heir. In an interview with the Telegraph, Lord Bamford said that his third child, George, would take over from his as head of the digger manufacturer rather than elder son Joseph, known as [...]
How does a Pokemon card fetch £12m? Inside the lucrative world of rare trading cards April 30, 2026 The Pokemon and Matchattax cards you had when you were a kid could fetch big bucks now. From multi-million price tags to Premier League brand deals, Matt Kenyon digs into this unlikely new asset class. At a glance, it looked a bit like Comic Con. But in reality, Fort Knox would have been a better [...]
Small business tax rule changes will not boost Exchequer coffers, top accounting firm argues April 30, 2026 A leading accountancy and advisory firm has sounded the alarm over a consultation by HMRC into tax rules for small businesses, arguing it will not close the tax gap and would leave firms tangled in even more red tape. Blick Rothenberg argued that the current HMRC consultation into so-called close companies, which have fewer than [...]
Number of top rate taxpayers surges as frozen thresholds squeeze Brits April 29, 2026 The number of higher and additional rate taxpayers in the UK has soared since the start of the decade as frozen thresholds have dragged nearly two million into paying higher rates of tax despite not being classified as traditional high-paid professionals. According to the latest personal income statistics from HMRC covering the 2023/24 tax year, [...]
Tax raids trigger worst start to year on record for businesses April 25, 2026 Tax rises under Labour coupled with the war in Iran have triggered the worst start to the year for businesses on record. Fewer businesses were set up in the first three months of 2026 than in the same period of any year on record, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics. Just 78,655 [...]
‘Concerned but not surprised’: Three-quarters of UK landlords and sole traders miss digital tax launch April 18, 2026 Only a quarter of sole traders and landlord who need to sign up for the UK’s new digital tax system have done so, despite the scheme already having come into effect this month. From 6 April, anyone who earned more than £50,000 in the 2024/25 tax year from property or self-employment income was required to [...]
‘Vicious and damaging’: Council tax overhaul set to end decades of financial ruin fears April 16, 2026 Brits will be granted more time to settle outstanding council tax bills under fresh reforms, ending decades of “vicious” collections which have left many on the brink of financial ruin. The shake up to the administration of bills sparks the first changes since 1993, after the lack of updating to fit modern needs and shifting [...]