From stamp duty to capital gains: The buy-to-let market has been hit by 14 tax changes in four years December 30, 2015 Thought buying a home was complicated? Spare a thought for landlords, who, it turns out, have been hit by 14 changes to the way they're taxed in the past four years, according to KPMG. Yep: from that 15 per cent hike to stamp duty for properties held within a corporate envelope, way back in the mists [...]
How much tax do you have to pay on a partridge in a pear tree this Christmas? December 22, 2015 It's the question you all wanted to know the answer to. If you were going to give your true love a partridge in a pear tree, and the rest, what are the tax liabilities? How much would the taxman make, and are the gold rings deductible? Well, with the help of the Institute of Chartered [...]
Where to invest in buy-to-let properties for the best rental and capital yields: Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and north west versus London December 15, 2015 Buy-to-let investors worried there may be a bust coming can breathe a sigh of relief, for the moment at least – new figures show little sign of new measures such as a hike in stamp duty and mortgage interest tax relief putting a dampener on things. "If a buy to let bust really was just [...]
Why the war on buy-to-let will make the UK housing crisis worse December 10, 2015 Landlords sighed with relief at the Conservative victory in the General Election in May. Faced with the threat of rent controls from the Labour Party, they had looked forward to a government that accepted the importance of the rental market, and supported its development while properly targeting the crooks renting out sub-standard accommodation. But [...]
London Assembly committee calls on Treasury to hand stamp duty over to Mayor December 10, 2015 The London Assembly's Regeneration Committee has a strong message for the next Mayor: lobby for stamp duty devolution to secure sustainable funding for the city's transportation. With London's population expected to grow to 10 million by 2030, the Committee says that increased transport is key to accommodate the growth. More funding would go toward developing [...]
Australia’s investing millions to create a tech boom as mining declines December 7, 2015 Australia will invest millions in an attempt to create a new tech boom, as mining in the country declines. An AUS$1.1 billion (£534m) package of measures designed to encourage entrepreneurship and new business includes reduced capital gains tax for startups, income tax rebates for retail investors and immigration changes to hire talent. "The mining boom, [...]
Should you invest in high risk fast growth firms? December 6, 2015 Pensions are still a highly attractive vehicle for long-term saving. You get tax relief on the way in, investments within the wrapper are shielded from tax on capital gains and dividends, and in most cases your pension assets can be passed onto your heirs free of inheritance tax. Yet for higher earners, pensions are about [...]
Eurozone beats FTSE 100 as miners drag on index – London Report December 1, 2015 Falls in mining company BHP Billiton and Aberdeen Asset Management yesterday and a failure to benefit from a weak euro hindered the FTSE 100 as it lagged behind its European counterparts. The FTSE 100 index was down 19.06 points, or down 0.3 per cent, at 6,356.09 by the close, lagging sharp gains in top Eurozone [...]
The Autumn Statement contained some significant wins for business and the City November 29, 2015 George bails himself out” was the front page headline of this very paper last Thursday as businesses up and down the country digested the impact of the Autumn Statement. While the U-turn on tax credits dominated much of the coverage, there was a lot of content announced by the chancellor from the despatch box that [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Changes to bring in £5bn a year from tax avoidance November 25, 2015 The government is aiming to bring in £5bn more a year through tackling tax avoidance by 2019-20. In the Autumn Statement chancellor George Osborne confirmed £800m more would be spent on tackling evasion and non-compliance through to 2020. The government is also set to build a digital tax system to help fight avoidance and to [...]