We need to do more to encourage firms to spend in the UK October 22, 2012 THIS is the week Britain will finally exit its double-dip recession – or at least, so we must all hope. Barring the most extraordinary upset in the history of British economic forecasting, figures out on Thursday will show that the economy grew at least a little during the third quarter, making up some of the [...]
Rapid responses October 21, 2012 Start-up nation [Re: Google’s awful day reminds us it is becoming less special, Friday] I was interested to read Allister Heath’s comments on Google settling down to mundane normality. I have started half a dozen tech businesses in my time, and I agree that turning a tech start-up into a successful company is a path [...]
Tax gap shrinks but higher VAT limits revenues October 18, 2012 THE TAX gap narrowed as a proportion of total tax liabilities in the 2010-11 tax year, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HRMC) said yesterday (see graph, below), despite widening in absolute terms. The proportion of total estimated tax liabilities the taxman missed slipped from 7.1 per cent to 6.7 per cent, which HMRC touts as impressive compared to [...]
Accountants can boost UK exports October 16, 2012 Smaller firms need advice before they can expand abroad LEGACY was one of the reasons London won the rights to host the unquestionably successful Olympic and Paralympic games. We all get a warm glow when one of our medallists pops up on Question of Sport or we read statistics showing that thousands are trying new [...]
Rapid responses October 9, 2012 Sharing is caring [Re: Osborne’s employment incentives idea is no game changer, Tuesday] If the purpose of the idea is to give workers a vested interest in the business, with the carrot of not paying capital gains tax on any profit that those shares make, then there are already existing schemes in operation such as the [...]
Swap rights for company shares October 8, 2012 BUSINESS leaders last night raised doubts about the government’s plan to let employers opt out of large chunks of employment law in return for handing workers shares in their firm. Chancellor George Osborne yesterday told the Conservative party conference in Birmingham that the government is targeting an April 2013 launch date for the “employee-ownership” scheme, [...]
Osborne’s employment incentives idea is no game changer October 8, 2012 FOR once, the government managed to unveil a policy yesterday that had not been pre-leaked. George Osborne’s latest plan combines two ideas: it seeks to better align staff and employer incentives; and to make the labour market more flexible. Employers will be able to make new job offers conditional on – and offer to existing [...]
The Tipster | Chequered outlook for Burberry October 8, 2012 CONCERNS over a slowing global economy have affected Burberry’s performance in Asia, a key growth market for the luxury retailer. The stock, down 36 per cent from its all-time highs in April, has come under further pressure after the World Bank reduced growth forecasts in Asia. Capital Spreads quotes a price of 1,011.4p-1,013.6p for Burberry. [...]
What the other papers say this morning October 2, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Blow for British nuclear revival A Franco-Chinese consortium has walked away from the race to build Britain’s new generation of reactors in a setback to the government’s hopes of ushering in a revival of nuclear power. The expected bid by French engineering company Areva and China’s Guangdong group for the Horizon nuclear joint [...]
Who’s switching jobs October 2, 2012 Taylor Wessing Amanda Nelson has been appointed as a partner in the law firm’s private client practice. She joins from Manches, where she was a partner in its private client and international wealth practice. Nelson specialises in tax planning, with a particular emphasis on inheritance and capital gains tax. RBC Capital Markets Frank Garibaldi has [...]