Business confidence edges up despite tax raid fears August 29, 2025 Business confidence has grown for the fourth consecutive month, according to a fresh survey, despite rising speculation of a fresh tax raid on businesses by the Labour government. Lloyds Bank’s business confidence index edged up two points to 54 per cent in August as sentiment among manufacturers climbed to its highest in a decade. The [...]
Rachel Reeves told ‘copy Margaret Thatcher’ with bank tax raid August 29, 2025 Britain’s banking titans are back in the hot seat as Rachel Reeves faces renewed calls to hike taxes on lenders. The self-described “iron Chancellor” has been advised to take a leaf out of Margaret Thatcher’s book with a fresh levy on banks that would hand the Treasury up to £8bn a year. The levy – [...]
Rachel Reeves could use bank windfall tax to plug Labour’s U-turns July 31, 2025 Rachel Reeves could launch a fresh tax grab on banks to plug the spending holes left by Labour’s recent U-turns, new analysis has found. The Chancellor is poised to hike taxes in the Autumn Budget after a series of government policy switches eroded her already wafer-thin fiscal headroom of £9.9bn. This comes as fresh research [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes are driving wealthy overseas investors to flee London July 14, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes have had the “feared impact” of driving wealthy overseas investors to flee London to escape double taxation of their worldwide income, the company behind The Shard has said. Real Estate Management (UK), which is ultimately owned by the State of Qatar, has revealed the exodus has resulted in it being [...]
Rachel Reeves warned against piling on small business tax pain July 8, 2025 As Rachel Reeves circles new avenues to boost tax receipts, the Chancellor has faced a fresh warning to ease the pain for small businesses. Businesses have called for Reeves to reverse her Autumn Budget tax hikes and ease the burden for firms as they suffer the crunch of economic uncertainty. One in five small- and [...]
Reeves’ tax raids crush business confidence – but worst is yet to come May 29, 2025 Business confidence plummeted in the three months to May as Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes took hold and firms have warned more pain is to come. Consumer services’ optimism marked its eight consecutive month of decline at -42 per cent, whilst levels of business value plunged to -56 per cent. This was down from -44 per [...]
HMRC review signals potential pension tax changes in Autumn May 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves could target pension savers in fresh tax grab as the Chancellor looks for additional ways to fund the government’s ballooning spending. His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published research as part of an official review of workplace retirement schemes, exploring cuts to the tax benefits of salary sacrifice pension schemes. The schemes, [...]
Seabrook: Crisps brand issues warning over Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes May 22, 2025 The company behind crisps brand Seabrook has warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget tax hikes will have an impact on its bottom line this year. The Cheshire-based UK arm of Japanese giant Calbee pointed to the increase in the National Living Wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions, which came into affect in April, as key [...]
Reeves must provide ‘more stable’ tax policy, finance bosses say May 20, 2025 Rachel Reeves is facing pressure to provide a “clearer, more stable tax environment,” when she delivers her growth strategy in July. The Chancellor is once again in the spotlight after a damning report from finance bosses indicated the industry was prepped to support growth ambitions, but structural barriers were holding them back. Top players in [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes will cost me £1m – Hooch tycoon March 31, 2025 The founder of the alcoholic drinks empire behind the likes of Hooch and VK has warned the tax hikes announced by Rachel Reeves will cost him an extra £1m. Steve Perez, the boss of Derbyshire-headquartered Global Brands, added that the Chancellor has “stacked the odds” against businesses like his and that he has “no choice” [...]