Cameron was right to be bold with his radical tax cutting promise October 1, 2014 ASK A party spin doctor what they’d like from the coverage of their leader’s speech and the honest ones will tell you that a single, tweetable, headline-friendly message is the ultimate prize. In that context, it doesn’t get much better than Cameron’s post-speech coverage, which boiled down to “tax cuts for 30m people.” Certainly, as [...]
Bramson shows hand on Electra bid September 17, 2014 The boadroom showdown at Electra Private Equity turned up a notch yesterday as activist shareholder Edward Bramson enticed shareholders by pledging to double the share price. Bramson slammed the Electra board’s lack of commercial experience and below-par performance in a letter to shareholders and pushed for heads to roll at a 6 October shareholder’s meeting. [...]
Service industry looks to an improved Britain September 11, 2014 BUSINESS SERVICES of the year In uncertain times, companies that are willing to try something different – be that a new management team, an innovative business structure or a better use of technology – are those that tend to succeed. Our choices come from the transport sector, catering, white-collar recruitment, online professional networking and management [...]
London property market: Why a mansion tax could be disastrous for government coffers September 10, 2014 The threat of a mansion tax still looms large over the prime London housing market – despite the fact it could end up cutting the amount of tax paid to the government, according to research from property consultancy Savills. A mansion tax has been suggested by both the Liberal Democrats and Labour, and has proven [...]
How to save up for a house deposit September 9, 2014 With property prices surging in recent years – by 19.3 per cent in London in the 12 months to June, according to ONS data – the amount needed for a house deposit has shot up. The latest figures from LSL Property Services show that the average first-time buyer put down just over £30,000 for a [...]
Nest egg: How best to save for your children’s future August 20, 2014 As GCSE results come out today, and the dust settles on last week’s A-Level results, many parents will be thinking about how they can help their children through university. But while Fidelity calculations suggest that education is the costliest part of raising a child from birth to 21, at an estimated £71,780 in total, many [...]
RBS share price starts down despite first-half profit increase of 93 per cent August 1, 2014 The Royal Bank of Scotland shrugged off PPI write downs to record a huge jump in profit before tax. The figures will come as no real surprise as RBS gave accurate guidance on its first-half expectations a week ago and saw its share price rocket as a result. This explains why the markets have not [...]
US tax battle: Kansas more complicated than critics condemn it for July 30, 2014 A heated tax battle is brewing in Kansas that could have major implications on future fiscal reforms throughout the United States. After Gov. Sam Brownback and the Republican-controlled State Legislature passed reforms lowering income tax rates among other tweaks to the code, critics are raising alarms about declining revenues. So, “What’s the Matter With Kansas?,” [...]
Property tax could deter foreign investment, specialists warn July 26, 2014 A capital gains tax that the government is planning to impose on some property owners could hinder investment in the private rented sector, tax specialists and investors have told the FT. The tax, due to begin in April next year, would affect anyone holding homes through a company structure. It was originally developed to [...]
Scottish independence: Why the referendum matters July 14, 2014 Even a “No” vote will mean radical shifts in political power. Warnings of market complacency have come thick and fast recently. Just yesterday, Bank for International Settlements chief Jaime Caruana said investors are ignoring the prospects of coming rate rises amid a giddy hunt for yield, while the geopolitical crises tearing through the [...]