Stamp duty holiday: Top London areas for potential property tax savings July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is today expected to announce a stamp duty holiday in a bid to reinvigorate the UK housing market following the coronavirus lockdown. The announcement is expected to raise the stamp duty threshold from £125,000 to £500,000, according to reports. Experts have said that buyers searching for properties in more expensive areas could [...]
HSBC shares tumble as US mulls Hong Kong crackdown July 8, 2020 HSBC shares have tumbled four per cent after advisers to the US government said they could undermine the Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the US dollar and crack down on banks in the city. The UK and Hong Kong-focused bank has been caught up in a geopolitical struggle over the semi-autonomous city which has seen [...]
British tech firm Arm to offload IoT units to Softbank July 8, 2020 Chipmaker Arm is to spin off its internet of things (IoT) software and services divisions to parent Softbank, as it focuses on its core business. Japanese giant Softbank purchased the Cambridge tech firm in 2016 for £24.3bn. The deal triggered a review of foreign takeover rules in the UK after ministers became concerned the country [...]
Stamp duty holiday ‘could be implemented immediately’ July 8, 2020 The chancellor is expected to announce this afternoon that a stamp duty holiday will come into force immediately, rather than delaying the change until autumn. Rishi Sunak is expected to raise the threshold for paying stamp duty from £125,000 to £500,000 as he outlines measures to help the UK economy recover from the coronavirus crisis. [...]
Uber launches world’s first Uber Boat with Thames Clippers July 8, 2020 Uber is today revealing its first permanent commuter boat service, launching in London with Thames Clippers. Branded Uber Boats will travel from piers along the Thames from Putney to Woolwich, available in the Uber app. Passengers can book tickets via the app, and then scan a QR code to board the Uber Boat. However the service [...]
The costs of lockdown could far outweigh the benefits July 8, 2020 Radical leaders such as Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand and Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland have gained plaudits through their relentless focus on eliminating Covid-19. But this comes at an obvious economic cost. Tourism is some 15 per cent of New Zealand’s GDP, and major destinations such as Queenstown in the Southern Alps have been devastated. [...]
Boohoo launches independent review of supply chain after Leicester factory claims July 8, 2020 Fast fashion retailer Boohoo suffered a further share price drop this morning after it launched an independent review of its UK supply chain following allegations of poor working practices and underpayment of workers at a clothing factory in Leicester. Boohoo this morning said it was “shocked and appalled” over the allegations that the Jaswal Fashions [...]
Rishi Sunak’s summer statement: What can we expect? July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak will today give a “summer statement”, a sort of mini-Budget in which he will announce schemes to support the economy as it recovers from its coronavirus-induced collapse. Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced £5bn of infrastructure spending. He invoked US President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1930s New Deal, saying the UK will “build, [...]
Can international tourism ever recover? July 8, 2020 We look at what might reignite demand for overseas travel and whether the downturn could profoundly change some countries’ economies. Travel restrictions are slowly being lifted, but most people are more likely to be jumping into their cars to go on holiday than onto an aircraft. So, can international tourism ever recover? And might the [...]
