Manufacturers warn of ‘fragile footing’ as Iran war threatens to hike costs March 16, 2026 UK manufacturing has started the year on “fragile footing,” with its economic standing likely to worsen due to the conflict in the Middle East, the sector’s industry has warned. A new report from Make UK revealed the sector is set to grow by just shy one one per cent in 2026, a modest rebound after [...]
Labour told to scrap ‘arbitrary’ inheritance tax system March 15, 2026 The UK government is being urged to scrap the inheritance tax system following warnings that that it enforces the UK as a “high-tax outlier” and risks stifling investment and driving entrepreneurs abroad. A new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) highlights that nearly half of the 38 OECD countries – where members are [...]
Business bosses told to check details after Companies House glitch March 15, 2026 Business directors are urged to check their details after a major glitch on Companies House allowed people to edit the data of other firms, leaving them potentially exposed to fraud. On Friday, a tech glitch on the UK’s official corporate register permitted people to access other companies’ details by pressing the back key on the [...]
‘Taxed to a standstill’ – UK economy grinds to a halt with no growth in January March 13, 2026 The UK economy saw zero growth in the first month of the year – before global markets were rocked by the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have handed a major blow to Rachel Reeves with the economy flat in January, compared to the 0.2 [...]
Ed Davey should leave Dubai tax exiles alone March 13, 2026 Ed Davey’s calls for American-style citizenship taxes on British expats in Dubai to pay for their military protection is completely unjustified, argues Charles Amos Last week Ed Davey challenged Keir Starmer to introduce American-style citizenship taxation on Brits who have fled to Dubai, but who now allegedly ask for military protection. His argument is simply [...]
The end of the tax year is approaching: Here are the key allowances to use March 12, 2026 The end of the tax year is fast approaching with April 5 just weeks away. Many people will be awaiting the opportunity to renew their ISAs to manage their tax bill, but others will be prioritising making the use of key tax allowances. Many of these allowances cannot be carried forward into the new tax [...]
Watch: War brings Reeves’ failures into focus March 5, 2026 War in the Middle East rendered the Chancellor’s Spring Statement “irrelevant” according to City analysts as the economic impacts of the Iran conflict become frighteningly clear. Rachel Reeves made just a passing mention of the Iran war when she addressed MPs on Tuesday, referring briefly to global instability while trying to paint a picture of [...]
Labour urged to give HENRYs a hand to boost investment March 4, 2026 The sheer tax cliff-edge facing workers earning £100,000 or more is harming the UK’s ambitions to foster greater retail investment, according to IG. New research from the online investment platform found that HENRYs, an acronym which stands for High Earner, Not Rich Yet, are unable to invest as much as they would like due to [...]
The £100k tax cliff edge is punishing ambition March 4, 2026 The £100,000 income cliff edge has become one of the most punitive and distortionary features of the UK tax landscape, says Michael Healy The government has made clear that it wants to boost economic growth, strengthen UK capital markets, and encourage greater participation in investing. These are ambitions we strongly support. But one part of [...]
Services sector cuts jobs and hikes prices after Reeves’ tax raid March 4, 2026 The UK’s services sector has turned to hiking prices and shedding workers in an effort to balance the books in the face of rising cost pressures from government policy. Businesses activity picked up for the tenth-consecutive month in February, according to the latest Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) from S&P, but came amid a “solid” amount [...]