Centrica to lose British Gas boss in new strategy January 7, 2013 CENTRICA is preparing to replace Phil Bentley as managing director of British Gas as the energy giant lays out a change in strategy. He is expected to leave his post in the coming months, though no successor has been picked. Bentley, who has spent 13 years at the firm, is believed to have clashed with [...]
HMRC maintains its pressure on tax evaders with offshore assets January 7, 2013 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) made 640 requests to overseas governments for information on individuals’ tax affairs during the last financial year, according to figures released today. Australia was by far the most targeted country, with 96 requests made by HMRC for information on individuals associated with the country. Spain (49 requests) and Ireland (38 [...]
Rail minister commutes in chauffeured car January 7, 2013 THE GOVERNMENT minister responsible for setting rail fares will continue to use a chauffeur-driven car to commute into London from his Essex home, the Department for Transport insisted yesterday. The department was forced to make the statement after it emerged that Simon Burns, the minister who has ultimate responsibility for fare policy, has been using [...]
Battersea Power Station’s first 800 Circus West flats go on sale January 7, 2013 THE FIRST 800 townhouses, flats and penthouses at Battersea Power Station will go on sale to the public this Thursday as building of the £8bn scheme gets underway later this year. The Malaysian developers behind the site, which has lain derelict for over 30 years, will say this week that the first phase of the [...]
Fallon’s threat to expose FTSE late payments January 7, 2013 BUSINESS minister Michael Fallon is set to name and shame FTSE chief executives who fail to sign their firms up to a prompt payment code designed to help small businesses get paid on time. Fallon wrote to every company in the FTSE 350 in November telling them that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills [...]
Tax fraud soars to hit five-year high at £600m January 7, 2013 THE level of reported tax fraud rose to its highest level since 2007 last year – despite a plunge in total frauds recorded, a study out today shows. Tax fraud accounted for almost half of all fraud reported to authorities in 2012 – some 44 per cent – and is almost double the figure reported [...]
Actor Depardieu meets Putin and picks up Russian passport January 7, 2013 FRENCH film star Gerard Depardieu received a hug from President Vladimir Putin and a new Russian passport yesterday after abandoning his homeland to avoid a new tax rate for millionaires. Putin signed a decree on Thursday granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu, who has fumed over French President Francois Hollande’s plan to impose a 75 per [...]
Talk of takeover bid for Alitalia stokes political backlash in Italy January 7, 2013 ITALY’S national airline could be sold to Air France-KLM, dredging up historic arguments as the country heads to the polls in February. Air France-KLM has the chance to clinch loss-making Alitalia when a lock-up period ends on 12 January, and the newspaper il Messaggero said yesterday the Franco-Dutch firm is in advanced talks to take [...]
Retailers fight to win custom over Christmas January 7, 2013 SIGNS of a gloomy Christmas are piling up for British retailers, as two sets of research out today suggest that wary customers kept a close eye on their spending during December. A survey of retailers by accountancy firm BDO points to a “good if not exceptional” Christmas, with like-for-like sales up 1.93 per cent on [...]
Tesco attracts investor support as it defends use of private planes January 7, 2013 TESCO’s fleet of private jets, used to ferry its executives around the globe, has been laid bare for the first time as a leading City figure sprang to defend the firm over the use of the planes. The supermarket giant, which reveals its much-anticipated Christmas trading figures on Thursday, operates a subsidiary, Kansas Transportation, to [...]
