Sunak comes out fighting in defence of tax hikes and spending spree November 1, 2021 Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak has defended his decision to swell the tax burden to its highest level in decades. Responding to a grilling from fellow MPs on the Treasury Committee, Sunak said last week’s bumper budget spending spree was designed to deliver on a “bunch of commitments” the government promised to achieve. The Chancellor’s decision [...]
Close trade ties with India will give us leverage to claim climate wins October 29, 2021 International trade and climate change are two of the most vexing global policy conundrums. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that we are at a final catalyst: human activity is damaging every region across the world, at an unprecedented rate. World leaders must accelerate comprehensive action working to minimise damage to the [...]
A new dawn of cryptocurrency is forcing us to re-evaluate our faith in our institutions of state October 29, 2021 Talking about a revolution, as Tracy Chapman reminded us, isn’t new. For many years, many have. But we only ever know we’ve lived through when we look back. Today, the writing is on the walls for a moment of fundamental change. Over the last week we’ve seen Bitcoin and Ethereum hit historic highs while take [...]
Green steam vs the big smog: London’s green jobs to double to 600,000 by 2030 – CityAM : CityAM October 29, 2021 The UK’s push for net zero will double the number of green jobs in London to 600,000 by 2030, according to new research. The findings, by WPI Economics and the Institute for Employment Studies and commissioned by Central London Forward, Local London, South London Partnership and West London Alliance, also revealed that the capital’s green [...]
The party’s over: Pub bosses warn pint prices will rise despite Budget promises October 28, 2021 A major pub boss has swiftly ended the party for cheaper pints, warning prices could creep up by 25p to 30p in spite of the 3p price cut promised by ‘fizzy Rishi’ in Wednesday’s Budget. Speaking to BBC’s Today Programme, Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame, whose brewery runs 300 pubs across the South East, [...]
Budget 2021: Government freezes Isa allowances as inflation comes down the track October 28, 2021 Isa and Junior Isa spending limits will be frozen at their current levels until at least 2023 under the Treasury’s Autumn budget plans, in a move that could hit investors with tax and harm savers if inflation begins to multiply further down the line. Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlined the annual payment limit for adult Isas [...]
Budget 2021: Sunak puts low tax conservatism to the sword October 28, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak will heap extra financial pain on households across the UK as he puts low tax conservatism to the sword. Sunak’s wave of spending will lay the groundwork for a permanently more punitive tax regime that will intensify the cost living crisis, leaving Brits “worse off in the short term”, the Institute for [...]
Budget: Millions of Brits to face ‘real pain’ as rising cost of living and taxes will bite October 28, 2021 Rising costs and tax increases will leave tens of millions of Brits worse off, economists said today. Their warning comes as experts are ploughing through yesterday’s Budget. Rishi Sunak had claimed his Budget is a strategy to “usher in a new age of optimism”, but a leading economic think tank warned the public “may not [...]
London titans fear business rates relief cap will leave them with ‘same old headache’ October 28, 2021 Central London businesses and landlords have been left disappointed after a cap on a new business rates discount. At the dispatch box on Wednesday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a one-year discount of 50 per cent for businesses in the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors. Eligible businesses will be able to claim a discount on their [...]
Second home buyers dodge bullet of stamp duty rise for now October 28, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak may have taken a last minute decision not to increase the stamp duty surcharge paid by landlords and second home buyers. The government had planned to hike the three percentage point surcharge on additional property purchases to four percentage points, first reported by the Daily Telegraph. In the economic and fiscal outlook, [...]