Safe as houses: is it time to introduce a wealth tax? March 30, 2024 Wages in the UK have flatlined since the financial crisis of 2008. Yet in that time, the country’s richest 1000 families have seen the value of their assets triple. Should we think more seriously—and progressively—about the way we tax wealth?
What if the OBR is too optimistic about growth? March 21, 2024 Chancellors preparing for Budgets fret over their fiscal headroom, but what matters in the long-term is the trend rate of growth. And if the OBR has it’s projections wrong, there will be big consequence for the next government, says Paul Ormerod The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its economic and fiscal outlook document in [...]
Let’s talk about tax – Starmer may regret shutting down debate on abolishing NI March 20, 2024 Is dismissing ideas about genuine reform of the tax system as “unfunded pledges” really the best the Labour leader can do? Asks Eliot Wilson Taxation runs through politics like a golden thread. It was the battle for control over finance that precipitated the civil wars in Britain and Ireland, and “no taxation without representation” was [...]
Some big changes to the tax system no one is telling you about… March 19, 2024 The Budget did little to move the polls, but it included some fundamental philosophical changes to the way we pay tax. Expect unintended consequences, says Tim Sarson Budgets are fleeting spectacles. Like a passing squall they arrive with a few gusts of media speculation, dominate the news for a week at most, then blow themselves [...]
Rich List: Over 1,100 City Hall ‘fat cats’ pocket more than £100,000 a year March 18, 2024 The number of City Hall staff earning more than £100,000 has soared to over 1,100 so-called ‘fat cats’, according to a new 2024 rich list.
Targeting non-doms was a cheap hit the Chancellor will regret March 13, 2024 The ultra-wealthy may be an easy target, but the government is sending a signal that playing politics matters more to them than securing investment, says James Price he temptation to play politics is often an irresistible one around fiscal events, and with the twin straitjackets of the Office for Budget Responsibility and a looming election, [...]
Londoners, here’s how much your council tax will be rising in April March 9, 2024 Councils are officially able to increase their tax rates by 4.99 per cent, but those with government permission are able to increase their residents’ bills by over 5 per cent.
Jeremy Hunt admits National Insurance won’t be scrapped ‘any time soon’ March 7, 2024 Jeremy Hunt has admitted scrapping National Insurance (NI) - as he hinted at in Wednesday’s Budget - won’t happen “any time soon”.
Spring Budget 2024: Hunt doesn’t rule out May election after £10bn tax cut March 6, 2024 Jeremy Hunt has announced the rate of National Insurance (NI) will be cut by two per cent in the Spring Budget as the government gears up for a rocky general election.
Spring Budget 2024: Renters worry as Hunt coaxes landlords to sell with capital gains tax cut March 6, 2024 Today's Spring Budget saw landlords receive a surprise handout from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt after he cut the rate of capital gains tax applying to residential property by four per cent.