From stamp duty to the triple lock, Andy Haldane says bold Burnham leadership can usher ‘vibe change’ for UK economy
Mitchell’s & Butlers shifts focus to food March 24, 2010 PUBS group Mitchells & Butlers said yesterday it planned to transform into a food-led business. The group has pledged to expand its Harvester, Toby Carvery, Crown Carveries, Sizzling Pub Co, Premium Country Dining and Vintage Inns. These brands currently trade from 913 outlets but the company believes there is potential for up to 1,900 outlets. [...]
Darling and Cameron slug it out March 24, 2010 LISTENING to Alistair Darling speak for almost an hour was never going to be an exciting experience, but yesterday he was political diazepam. At one point I expected the whips to come round handing out Pro Plus. John Denham, the local governments minister, in particular appeared to be battling with unconsciousness. The only person who [...]
Tories hit out over allowances March 24, 2010 THE Tories yesterday accused the government of hiding a £2.2bn stealth tax in the small print of the Budget. The chancellor introduced a freeze on all income tax bands in his Budget instead of following normal practice and raising them in line with inflation. With retail inflation at 3.7 per cent, the tax-free personal allowance [...]
NHS productivity falls as cuts loom March 24, 2010 THE National Health Service (NHS) was one of yesterdays biggest losers in the Budget as health secretary, Andy Burnham, announced £4.35bn in cuts for the department by 2013. The NHS plans to make the savings by moving civil servants out of London, reducing the amount of consultants used and driving down the cost of procurement. [...]
Clegg says government is in denial over future cuts March 24, 2010 LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg yesterday said the chancellor was “in denial” about the scale of public spending cuts needed to pay down Britain’s yawning deficit. Branding the Budget “a footnote to 13 years of failure”, Clegg accused the government of failing to offer “honesty on spending” or “fairness on taxation”. Clegg, who could end [...]
Ministry of Justice to quit London March 24, 2010 DARLING will shift a staggering 15,000 civil servants out of the capital in a massive cost cutting drive. The news will further stoke the fires burning at the heart of the government over pay caps for the public sector workers, set at just one per cent – effectively a pay cut as inflation is double [...]
UK says its rating is safe after Budget March 24, 2010 THE British government’s latest borrowing forecasts should not give credit rating agencies any reason to change the nation’s sovereign debt rating, the head of the Debt Management Office (DMO) said yesterday. Britain’s record high debt has caused disquiet among investors, but lower borrowing forecasts in finance minister Alistair Darling’s budget helped soothe concerns, and rating [...]
How Stamp duty will change March 24, 2010 On market with Foxtons for £249,999 Stamp Duty payable before budget: £2,499 Stamp Duty payable by first-time buyers now : Zero On market with Foxtons for £1,050,000 Stamp Duty payable now: £42,000 Stamp Duty payable as from April 2011: £55,125
Tax evaders face harsh fines March 24, 2010 THE government outlined intentions to raise £500m in tax revenues yesterday by imposing a heavy penalty on evasion, at the same time announcing it was to sign information exchange agreements with a trio of countries. Chancellor Alistair Darling detailed plans of implementing a 200 per cent tax penalty on Britons found guilty of using offshore [...]
Property gets a boost from duty changes March 24, 2010 THE government yesterday handed first-time home buyers a boost by scrapping stamp duty for houses costing less than £250,000 for two years in a measure that will be paid for by those at the higher end of the property ladder. Chancellor Alistair Darling has increased stamp duty on houses worth £1m or more from four [...]
