THE TIPSTER | Rebuilding dominance September 24, 2012 AS TALK of a housing recovery gains momentum, investors may be looking to add growth-orientated stocks to their portfolio. Persimmon has seen tough times since the onset of the financial crisis, with shares falling from their peak above 1,500p. However, the house builder has added 67 per cent to its share price this year and [...]
Clegg revives battle on rich with raft of tax plans September 23, 2012 THE TOP 10 per cent of Britons should pay more in tax, the Deputy Prime Minister said yesterday, promising to become more creating in finding new ways to take money from the richest. But finance analysts warned the move could simply drive cash and assets abroad, making the UK and the government worse off, rather [...]
Knight Frank says best London property thriving despite dip September 23, 2012 PRIME property in central London hit a new record high in September, according to estate agent Knight Frank, as it continued its robust recovery from the post-financial crisis slump. Prices grew 10 per cent in the last 12 months, the firm said today, pushing the index to a point some 51 per cent higher than [...]
Vodafone shares dip on fears of Indian government tax charge September 17, 2012 SHARES in Vodafone were hit yesterday on renewed speculation that the group will have to set aside $2.2bn (£1.4bn) to cover a tax bill in India over the telecoms firm’s 2007 purchase of China’s Hutchison Whampoa. Vodafone is considering making a provision for the charge in its next round of company accounts in November, chief [...]
Tory peer tells coalition to scrap capital gains tax September 13, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT should abolish capital gains tax (CGT), Tory peer Howard Flight claimed in a research paper released by the Centre for Policy Studies yesterday. However, the government must first cut the rate to 25 per cent or less, the report, prepared by Flight and Cambridge post-graduate economist Oliver Latham, says. If it can summon [...]
Hollande hikes taxes as rich flee for London September 9, 2012 FRENCH PRESIDENT Francois Hollande last night confirmed plans to raise taxes, particularly on the rich, as he fights to return the country to full strength within two years. Those earning more than €1m a year will be hit by a 75 per cent marginal rate, Hollande confirmed, with “no exceptions”. However, the levy could be [...]
We’ve been here before: Britain’s decline and fall is not inevitable September 3, 2012 THERE is one, single policy issue that dominates British politics today: the economy. It is the preeminent issue that determines the welfare of British citizens. Whether they have a job, how well paid they are in that job, what taxes they have to pay, what healthcare and pensions they get, how good their children’s education [...]
WPP is coming home as Sorrell lauds tax rules August 30, 2012 WPP endorsed the coalition’s changes to overseas tax rules yesterday by moving its base back to Britain – but the advertising giant’s chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell voiced concerns about other parts of the tax regime. Sorrell told City A.M. the delays to WPP’s return after four years based in Ireland were because “it’s taken [...]
Taxation shouldn’t be determined by subjective opinions of fairness August 27, 2012 THE Treasury’s latest consultation – Ensuring the Fair Taxation of UK Residential Property Transactions – has just closed. We responded to it, and disagreed not only with the substance of the policies, but also the way in which the consultation was framed around the vaguest of concepts: “fairness”. The main proposal is for a graduated [...]
A champagne prize for the worst Treasury team in modern British history July 31, 2012 AN ENJOYABLE way of spending a few relaxing holiday hours on the beach is to think about the best team that ever played a particular sport. It can be the team as a whole – for example, is the 2012 British Olympic gymnastic team better than its Russian equivalent in 1980? Or you can construct [...]