Entrepreneur tax relief to be scaled back in Budget January 27, 2020 The government will reportedly scale back a tax break for entrepreneurs amid concerns it is overly generous to the wealthy. A senior cabinet minister told The Financial Times that the Chancellor Sajid Javid is drawing up plans to curb the tax break. The Conservatives’ general election manifesto outlined plans to review and reform the relief. [...]
Boohoo hikes guidance after ‘record’ quarter January 14, 2020 Boohoo raised its full-year guidance this morning as it reported record trading during the final quarter of last year. The online fashion retailer’s shares jumped more than five per cent after it announced group revenue in the four months to 31 December was £473.7m, an increase of 44 per cent compared to the same period [...]
Labour isn’t even trying to make its slapdash sums add up December 3, 2019 General Elections are always an uncomfortable period for those of us who like our facts straight and our figures honest. All too often, politicians of all stripes seem to be treating the Liberal Democrats’ infamous bar charts not as a scandal, but an inspiration. Even by modern standards, however, there is something rather special about [...]
General election 2019: Council taxes likely to rise more under Tories, says IFS December 2, 2019 Council tax rates are likely to rise more under a Conservative government than a Labour one, in order to cover local government costs, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned. The Tories have not allocated enough funding to meet local government requirements, even with a four per cent rise in council tax. Read more: Both [...]
UBS wealth arm pessimistic about UK earnings in 2020 November 28, 2019 UBS Global Wealth Management (GWM) has said it expects earnings growth for UK equities to flatline in 2020, regardless of which party wins the upcoming General Election. Analysts at the Swiss banking giant’s wealth arm said that if the Tory party wins and pushes through a Brexit deal, the benefits will be limited by fresh [...]
Labour policies could cause run on sterling, says think tank Cebr November 25, 2019 A Labour government could cause a run on the pound due to market fears over the party’s stewardship of the economy, a leading economic think tank has said. Douglas McWilliams, director of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), called Labour’s plans to raise £83bn a year through higher taxes by 2023-24 “improbable”. Read [...]
Here’s how much you need to earn to be considered rich November 22, 2019 A fiery debate was sparked last night about what makes a person “rich” after a man on BBC Question Time wrongly claimed he was not even in the top 50 per cent of earners – despite bringing home £80,000 a year. The man laid into Labour candidate Richard Burgeon, who was on the show to [...]
This election is a battle Labour does not deserve to win November 22, 2019 In 2004, the US chat show host Oprah Winfrey gave away a brand new car to each member of her studio audience. It was badged as an act of unparalleled generosity — though, as is the way of these things, the reality was more complicated. Gift taxes hit recipients hard — and the cars themselves [...]
National insurance payment cut to mostly benefit middle and higher-earners, says IFS November 21, 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to raise the national insurance contribution (NIC) threshold would mostly benefit middle and higher-income households, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said. The Conservatives intend to raise the point at which workers pay national insurance to £9,500 in 2020/21 from its currently-planned level of £8,788. The party also intends [...]
General Election 2019: City urges rethink over Labour’s ‘hostile’ manifesto November 21, 2019 City figures have urged Labour to reconsider its combative position towards business and the City after Jeremy Corbyn revelled in the “hostility” his new manifesto would bring. Corbyn unveiled his “radical” vision for a Labour government this morning, with a document setting out the details of how the party would pay for its spending spree, [...]