Forget the celebrity tax allegations: Our complex system is the real issue July 9, 2014 Take That’s Gary Barlow has again been reported to have participated in complicated tax avoidance schemes. And as ever, discussion on the subject has been clouded by inaccurate reporting. Many have claimed that personal tax avoidance “costs the economy” £5bn a year. This is confused nonsense, based on an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) estimate [...]
Analyst Views: What was your reaction to Taylor Wimpey’s half year trading update? July 7, 2014 ANTHONY CODLING | JEFFERIES At half time, there is no nervousness or need for a strong pep talk from team boss Redfern. His players are following the set game plan and leaving little to chance, having set the bar high with respect to value vs volume, they have left Persimmon with a lot to do [...]
The new Isa: Three things you need to know about it July 1, 2014 The new Isa (Nisa) is a day old and, despite speculation that a rush of investor funds could wobble providers’ systems, savers shouldn’t be deterred from making the most of the enhanced benefits of the liberalised tax wrapper. What has changed? Among several new rules, the amount of money an individual can shield within the [...]
St. Modwen Properties’ half-yearly report shows effects of recovery July 1, 2014 St. Modwen Properties released its half-yearly results today, revealing a 32 per cent rise in pre-tax profits and an increase in shareholder equity. The results come on the back of the rising housing market and burgeoning commercial developments. Pre-tax profit for the six months to 31 May had increased to £51.3m from £38.8m for the corresponding [...]
The new Isa: How to make the most of your Nisa June 29, 2014 Despite dwindling interest rates, with the right approach, even sticking to cash can mean you are quids in Announced in the Budget, the new, enhanced and simplified Isa arrives tomorrow. Allowing investors to shield up to £15,000 a year away from the taxman – up from the current £11,880 limit for stocks and shares Isas [...]
The new Isa: How to become a Nisa millionaire in 26 years June 29, 2014 No one knows exactly how many Isa millionaires there are. Stockbroker Brewin Dolphin has in the past claimed that around 15 of its clients have over £1m of savings sheltered from the taxman in an Isa wrapper. But the number is sure to increase as the effect of the Nisa’s higher annual allowance takes [...]
The new Isa is arriving: What you need to know about it June 24, 2014 ON 1 July, the new Isa (Nisa) arrives. Announced in the Budget this year, the Nisa is both a simpler product and allows investors to shield more money away from the taxman. The annual Isa allowance will rise to £15,000, an increase of £3,480 from 2013-14. And while investors have previously been limited in how [...]
Why significantly extending the Living Wage is not the best way to help the poorest June 24, 2014 JOHN Sentamu, the charismatic archbishop of York, has again thrown his weight behind the recommendations of the Living Wage Commission he chairs. Not to be confused with the government’s Low Pay Commission, which recommends the statutory minimum wage, the Living Wage Commission is a private pressure group funded by trade unions and faith organisations. Its [...]
A parting thought: Britain needs to learn to love capitalism June 19, 2014 THERE is one change, more than any other, that Britain needs to undergo if we want to fulfil our true potential. We must learn to embrace capitalism, individual liberty and the awe-inspiring wealth and job creating potential of business, and ditch our ambivalent attitude towards free markets. It is time for a cultural revolution in [...]
Britain’s economy needs lower and flatter taxes to flourish June 18, 2014 TAX and spending remain far too high in the UK, dragging down our economy. We still suffer from a bloated state, from an inefficient, low-productivity govern-ment sector, from a large budget deficit and from a tax system that is no longer fit for purpose. Resources are misallocated, incentives damaged and prosperity held back. It is [...]