Clegg announces energy bill shake-up April 11, 2012 Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg today unveiled a new system under which energy companies will be required to let customers know what their best deal is. The move could save households up to £100 a year, according to ministers who have been calling for the change. Energy companies will be obliged to tell people about [...]
FTSE steadied by banks and miners April 11, 2012 The FTSE 100 steadied this morning but fears over world growth and in particular the continuing Eurozone debt crisis cast a shadow over markets. Having fallen back to its weakest point this year the blue chip index was given a boost by miners and banks but the market was effectively flat. The sector had been [...]
BMW reports record March sales April 11, 2012 BMW, the world’s largest premium carmaker by volume, said that it enjoyed the highest ever first quarter demand on the back of March sales that broke all previous records as its three largest markets posted double-digit growth. Group sales increased by 12 per cent last month to 185,728 vehicles, bringing the cumulative tally so far [...]
BAA traffic in boost from emerging markets April 11, 2012 Traffic at airports operated by BAA rose by four per cent in March, compared with the same month in 2011, helped by Easter being earlier this year and strong growth on routes to emerging markets. BAA, which is Britain’s main airport operator whose largest shareholder is Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial, said 8.6m passengers travelled through [...]
Michael Page profit rises despite weak banking April 11, 2012 British recruitment firm Michael Page International posted a seven per cent rise in first-quarter profit but said weak markets, particularly in banking, continued to drag on growth. Michael Page, which places people in accounting, financial and legal jobs, on Wednesday said gross profit rose to £136m in the three months to the end of March, [...]
Euro crisis back with a vengeance April 10, 2012 FEARS over the future of the Eurozone reignited yesterday, sparking a collapse in stock markets and a sharp upturn in borrowing costs for struggling Mediterranean states. Yields on Spanish and Italian government bonds soared throughout the day, reversing the recent calming downward trend that had been temporarily achieved with a €1 trillion (£824bn) refinancing operation [...]
Charities to lose out after Osborne’s tax relief raid April 10, 2012 CHARITIES and tax lawyers attacked George Osborne’s plans to limit tax relief on donations yesterday, calling the move “heavy handed” and “perverse.” Relief will be limited to the income tax paid on the first £50,000 of a donor’s earnings or 25 per cent of their income, reducing incentives to give to charities. “As a result [...]
Time for a few home truths about Britain’s housing crisis April 10, 2012 EVERY so often, a piece of research comes along which is a must-read. A document yesterday from the Institute of Economic Affairs is one such report: it reveals in no uncertain terms why house prices are so high in the UK, and what needs to be done to ensure that generations of young people are [...]
The real story about tax reliefs April 10, 2012 Q How has income tax relief on charitable giving worked in the past? A When income tax payers give to charity they use the “gift aid” system to allow the charity to claim back the tax paid. This gives the charity an extra 25 per cent. But higher rate payers can also add donations to [...]
Cameron set to reveal returns April 10, 2012 DAVID Cameron has moved closer to publishing his tax return following weeks of speculation over whether members of the Cabinet will benefit from the Budget. “The Prime Minister is relaxed about the idea of the tax returns of senior Cabinet ministers being published,” but wants the chance to consider how it could work, a source [...]
