The government is perversely incentivising corporate debt November 5, 2015 Sometimes attitudes are so entrenched that we go about our business and daily lives and never question them. And for me, there’s one particular facet of the world of corporate funding that is not questioned enough – the imbalance in the government’s treatment of equity and debt. It is not only harmful to the interests [...]
UK’s capital gains tax bill shot up 43pc in one year to £5.5bn, announces accountancy group UHY Hacker Young November 2, 2015 Taxpayers forked out £5.5bn in capital gains tax (CGT) last year, up 43 per cent from £3.4bn the year before, UHY Hacker Young has announced. The accountancy group pinpointed increases in the CGT rate and removal of CGT reliefs, coupled with increased turnover in shares and buy-to-let properties as being behind the rise. And, having [...]
Entrepreneurs need a stable tax policy landscape to thrive October 28, 2015 THE cut and thrust of politics may not matter all that much to entrepreneurs. But policies certainly do – particularly those related to tax. Some have been a boon for businesses: Entrepreneurs’ Relief and the Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) have been particularly welcome. The former grants entrepreneurs a 10 per cent tax rate on [...]
Mark Carney’s EU referendum intervention has fuelled the campaign for Brexit October 27, 2015 It was only last week that Bank of England governor Mark Carney gave a speech in Oxford to explain the central bank’s view on the UK’s membership of the EU. But can anyone recall what he said beyond the generalities? Has his intervention added to the sum of human knowledge? And will it make any [...]
Government’s Lloyds Banking Group share sell off attracting huge number of first-time investors, claims Hargreaves Lansdown October 26, 2015 The government's plan to sell off £2bn-worth of Lloyds Banking Group shares is attracting first-time investors in their droves, creating a new generation of "Tell Sids". Hargreaves Lansdown, which has received more than 170,000 individual registrations to take part in the public offering next spring, estimates that one in eight people have never invested in equities [...]
FTSE 100 ends the day flat as InterContinental Hotels Group leads the pack October 20, 2015 The UK's top share index traded relatively flat on Tuesday but outperformed other European indexes. The FTSE 100 closed 0.02 per cent up, at 6,353 points, while France's Cac closed 0.50 per cent lower at 4,680 and Germany's Dax finished Tuesday's session 0.01 per cent up at 10,165. However the FTSE 100 is still trading nearly 11 per cent below its [...]
10 crazy ideas for the future of London housing which just came a step closer to reality October 12, 2015 Floating houses and homes on top of hospitals: these are just two radical ideas which are a step closer to becoming reality in London. They are just two of 10 concepts which have been chosen as winners in a search to find ideas for the future of housing in the capital and that help solve [...]
The future of education finance is here – enter new crowdfunding platform EdAid October 8, 2015 There is a new alternative lending platform on the scene, and it’s called EdAid. While we’re familiar with those crowdfunding and peer-to-peer platforms that offer loans to businesses, equity stakes in startups and invoice trading opportunities, EdAid is doing something a bit different: it’s creating a competitor to the government’s Student Loans Company, and giving [...]
UK businesses slam Tory tax hikes ahead of Conservative party conference 2015 October 6, 2015 Britain's biggest business groups are putting pressure on the government to row back on its latest tax proposals ahead of the Conservative party conference in Manchester this weekend. In formal submissions sent to the government today, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), EEF, British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Institute of Directors (IoD) have all [...]
Paying the professionals: Do I need a wealth manager? October 5, 2015 Annabelle Williams explains when it’s worth enlisting the help of a professional Getting your affairs in order is complicated and many people will have considered enlisting the services of a wealth manager, either on an ad-hoc or more permanent basis. But when do you need one, and what should you sort out first? DO [...]