‘Bad for business’: Financial lobby group criticises McDonnell’s planned financial transactions tax September 12, 2019 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s plans to extend the scope of Labour’s proposed financial transactions tax have come under criticism from the head of a City lobby group. “A tax on financial transactions would be bad for business, bad for investors, bad for savers, and bad for the economy,” said Miles Celic, chief executive of Thecityuk. [...]
DEBATE: Should capital gains tax be raised and aligned with income tax? September 9, 2019 Should capital gains tax be raised and aligned with income tax, as it was under Margaret Thatcher? YES, says Robert Palmer, executive director of Tax Justice UK Why should someone who goes out to work for a living pay a higher rate of tax than someone living off their wealth? It’s an important question, especially [...]
Number of taxpayers falling six months behind on bills increases September 9, 2019 The number of British taxpayers who are falling well behind on their tax bills has continued to climb, according to research. About 117,000 people are now more than six months behind, according to accountancy Moore Stephens, meaning they have received the second of two penalties of five per cent of the tax they owe. This [...]
Inheritance tax faces a shake-up with number of proposed changes July 6, 2019 Under proposed changes to the inheritance tax, the current rules on gift-giving could be cut down from seven years to five. A review of the system ordered by chancellor Philip Hammond claimed the period in which executors are required to account for gifts given within seven years of death should be reduced to five. Read [...]
G20 vows to crack down on tech giant tax havens by 2020 June 9, 2019 Tech giants such as Facebook and Google will face a crackdown to ensure they pay their corporate taxes in full, after G20 finance ministers vowed to wrap up new laws by the end of the year. In a communique issued after a meeting in Japan, the finance ministers said they would compile new rules to [...]
Philip Hammond’s virtue signalling on low pay is hypocritical June 7, 2019 Philip Hammond may soon be out of a job. In fact, I would be very surprised if he remains chancellor of the Exchequer for more than a day or two after our new Prime Minister is chosen. Hammond is fond of reminding his critics that his demise has been predicted before. Yet while the Tory [...]
DEBATE: Should there be a cap on inheritance tax breaks available to wealthy families? June 3, 2019 Should there be a cap on inheritance tax breaks available to wealthy families? Robert Palmer, executive director of Tax Justice UK, says YES. Inheritance tax is one of the most disliked taxes in the UK, in part because the super-rich can largely avoid paying it. This is deeply unfair. At Tax Justice UK, we’ve just published [...]
HMRC increasingly targeting individual executives in tax crackdown June 3, 2019 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is increasingly targeting C-suite executives personally as it looks to hold businesses to account. The number of chief financial officers and other senior finance directors fined has increased 22 per cent in the year to 31 March to hit 152. In 2017-18 HMRC levied 125 fines against individuals while in 2012-13 – [...]
Business groups should be happy with Javid’s infrastructure plan June 3, 2019 This newspaper applauded the Tory leadership contest's emerging battle of ideas last week, a trend that happily continued over the weekend with candidates launching a range of new policy proposals. Former City banker Sajid Javid grabbed headlines by revealing that he could scrap the top rate of income tax, and this morning bulks up his [...]
Mountain Warehouse eyes store expansion as profits jump May 31, 2019 Outdoor clothing group Mountain Warehouse is eyeing an expansion on the high street this year after reporting today a double-digit rise in annual pre-tax profits and sales. The retailer, which currently runs 350 stores and employs 3,500 staff, is planning to open a further 50 stores this year, including roughly 20 in the UK, following [...]