Business versus the Budget: How a ‘dismal’ fiscal picture could disrupt Labour’s Party conference September 24, 2026 As business chiefs look forward to the Labour Party conference and the ensuing Budget, Maurício Alencar explores how a difficult fiscal backdrop could disrupt meetings and undermine high expectations. In the months leading up to the Budget, hundreds of notes fly through the Treasury’s letterbox. Emails ping on officials’ phones. Lobbyists for academics, retailers, councillors, [...]
Collagen business founder loses £3.6m tax battle September 23, 2026 The founder of a collagen company has lost a battle over a £3.6m tax bill after a judge ruled his product could not be classified as food and therefore cannot claim VAT exemption. Tony Sanguinetti founded Minerva Research Labs in London in 2009 after he “became slightly obsessed with finding a way to reverse the [...]
Baker Tilly chief warns Budget may carry ‘pain cost’ for businesses bracing tax changes September 23, 2026 The chief executive of professional services giant Baker Tilly International has warned the upcoming Budget will likely carry a heavy “pain cost” for UK businesses bracing for tax changes. “It’s going to be a ride, isn’t it,” Francesca Lagerberg, Baker Tilly International‘s chief executive told City AM. “The mood music is that it won’t be [...]
Reform-linked think tank calls for sweeping City deregulation and tax cuts September 23, 2026 A Reform UK-linked think tank has called for sweeping tax cuts for investors and an overhaul of regulation in a report that was described by Richard Tice and Robert Jenrick as a “serious contribution” to the UK’s growth debate. The Centre for a Better Britain has called for the abolition of capital gains taxes and [...]
Burnham urged to launch £26bn tax raid on high earners September 23, 2026 Chancellor John Healey and Prime Minister Andy Burnham could raise £26bn by hiking capital gains taxes and applying national insurance to other areas of income, according to plan put forward by academics that will rattle the City and Westminster ahead of this year’s Budget. Researchers at the Centre for Analysis of Taxation (Centax), consisting of [...]
How inheritance tax is becoming a ‘bill for ordinary households’ September 22, 2026 Inheritance tax receipts have hit a new high as frozen thresholds and rising property values drag more households into the tax net. Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts have hit £3.8bn so far this financial year, surpassing the £3.7bn recorded at the same point last year, according to the latest data from HMRC. Total receipts reached £8.5bn [...]
Businesses welcome Tory pledge to restore tax-free shopping September 20, 2026 Top UK business leaders have welcomed Tory plans to bring back tax-free shopping for overseas visitors if they reenter government in a bid to end the tourism shopping slump. The Conservatives said it would restore VAT refunds for eligible visitors from outside the EU after the tax-break was stripped away in 2021 under former chancellor [...]
British tycoons raise the alarm over state of UK economy September 20, 2026 Two of Britain’s wealthiest business chiefs have launched fierce criticism against government policies and the health of the UK economy. Billionaire energy boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe and gambling entrepreneur Fred Done have separately warned about the state of the economy and direction of policy in the past 48 hours. In particular, the business chiefs claimed [...]
Labour mansion tax raid to hit homes worth £1.5m September 20, 2026 The government is considering plans to lower the mansion tax threshold to properties worth over £1.5m, a move that would hit nearly 300,000 homes. Labour originally announced the tax on properties worth more than £2m in last year’s Autumn Budget by former chancellor Rachel Reeves. Properties over this valuation are set to pay a £2,500 [...]
Tories consult senior barrister over ‘outrageous’ Wandsworth tax hike September 18, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservative party has consulted a senior barrister to challenge the government over local funding cuts, following the recent controversy over looming tax hikes at Wandsworth Council. Wandsworth Council, which is Tory-run, has recently announced that taxes will rise by 94 per cent for ‘band D’ residents, resulting in taxpayers having [...]