London clings to top spot as finance hub September 26, 2011 LONDON clung to the top place on a list of the most important global financial centres yesterday but saw its lead over rivals slashed to almost zero as its competitive edge vanished, a new report showed. In a worrying sign that the City is losing its place as the world’s leading finance hub, London’s competitiveness [...]
Investors to get £100m tax boost September 25, 2011 Chancellor George Osborne is today set to offer £100m of new income and capital gains tax breaks to those investing in fast growing technology and manufacturing firms. The government plans to expand the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) by increasing the rate of tax relief available from 20 per cent to 30 per cent and doubling [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: IS DEBENHAMS’ STRATEGY WORKING? September 20, 2011 KATE CALVERT SEYMOUR PIERCE The beat is down to the 53rd week contribution, we believe, which management expects to add £5-7m in profit, higher than previously thought. Management expects 53-week full year profit before tax to be ahead of consensus of £158m, according to the company within the range of £160-165m. RICHARD HUNTER HARGREAVES LANSDOWN [...]
Obama wants tax breaks ended to pay for jobs plan September 12, 2011 President Barack Obama has proposed paying for his jobs plan by eliminating $467bn (£294bn) in tax breaks for wealthier Americans and corporations, triggering a new battle with Republicans in Congress. The White House objective is to put lawmakers in a difficult spot: either back Obama’s jobs package or risk being portrayed as doing nothing to [...]
It’s time to abolish the 50p tax rate September 8, 2011 THERE are many reasons why the top 50p rate of tax should be axed. It sends a message that the UK doesn’t like successful people; it has made Britain less competitive in the race for talent and capital; and the job losses and reduced economic growth it will cause means that the overall revenue raised [...]
It’s time to abolish the 50p tax rate September 7, 2011 THERE are many reasons why the top 50p rate of tax should be axed. It sends a message that the UK doesn’t like successful people; it has made Britain less competitive in the race for talent and capital; and the job losses and reduced economic growth it will cause means that the overall revenue raised [...]
Ex-Labour MP joins calls to end top rate September 7, 2011 LABOUR’S ex-Treasury minister Kitty Ussher will today call on her party to propose alternative fiscal measures to replace the 50p top rate of income tax, such as cuts to tax-breaks on pensions for high-earners, or capital-gains tax on sales of primary residences. And yesterday a Labour party-supporting economist and two former Bank of England officials [...]
YO! Sushi tastes success despite big debt costs September 1, 2011 RESTAURANT chain YO! Sushi has increased sales by a fifth after opening more UK stores and increasing its income from foreign franchises. The firm’s parent company, Sushi Holdings 1, hit sales of £50.31m, up from £41.7m, for the year to 28 November, after increasing its number of branches in the UK by 10 to 54 [...]
Commuters drive profits at Go-Ahead September 1, 2011 GO-AHEAD, the rail and bus company, has posted better than expected profits, helped by a shift to public transport as high petrol prices keep drivers off the roads. The group, whose GoVia joint venture with France’s Keolis operates the South-Eastern, London Midland and Southern rail franchises, said pre-tax profits rose 11 per cent to £97.6m [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 25, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BREVAN HOWARD CAPITALISES ON TURMOIL Brevan Howard, the world’s largest macro hedge fund, has made close to $1.5bn over the past three weeks on the back of turmoil in the global markets. In a month in which equity markets worldwide have seen declines of more than 10 per cent, the gain comes as [...]