Rachel Reeves considering ‘exit tax’ on wealthy Brits fleeing the UK November 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves is looking at a tax on wealthy Brits leaving the UK and a mansion tax, as last ditch levers to pull ahead of the Budget. The Times reported on a possible 20 per cent “settling-up charge” on business assets, which is the rate of Capital Gains Tax (CGT). It is thought that the [...]
Business confidence at ‘rock bottom’ as tax rumours spook directors November 1, 2025 Business confidence remained at “rock bottom” in October as Budget rumours test executives’ nerves amid fears of rising costs and a collapse in growth, a top industry group’s survey has indicated. Rachel Reeves has publicly said that tax hikes are under consideration at this year’s Budget while rumours have suggested big businesses could be hit [...]
Motor finance, Madoff fraud, tax fears – bank shares defy the noise October 31, 2025 A motor finance battle, hefty impairment charges and the shadow of 2008 all cast over banks third-quarter results but beneath the fog investors are rewarding the FTSE 100’s top lenders for another bumper quarter. The FTSE 350 banks index has risen nearly four per cent this month and is up 17 per cent for the [...]
Super-rich ditch London mansions for flats, developer says October 30, 2025 London’s super-rich are swapping mansions for pieds-à-terre as they seek to wind down their presence in the UK or exit altogether, one of the top developers in the capital has said. Alex Michelin, co-founder of Valouran, said many high net worth individuals (HNWIs) remained attracted to London but were scaling down their property investment to [...]
How London’s luxury property market ground to a halt October 30, 2025 On Bishops Avenue, it is quiet. On a recent weekend walk down the mile-long parade of luxury mansions, not a single other person could be spotted strolling along the pavement. The property market for Hampstead-based The Bishops Avenue, known locally as Billionaire’s Row, is equally quiet. Aside from one high-end house snapped up by a [...]
Firms brace for ‘difficult winter’ as tax burden weighs on activity October 29, 2025 Companies across the private sector are braced for a “difficult” winter as activity is forecast to downturn across UK services due to mounting tax fears, fresh research has indicated. A leading survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), considered to be one of the UK’s most influential business groups, has suggested that private sector [...]
HSBC shares rise as Georges Elhedery’s pivot East beats the noise October 28, 2025 HSBC’s pass through the third quarter was almost identical to the second. Despite another hefty hit to the firm’s bottom line, chief executive Georges Elhedery has quietly and effectively pushed ahead with his bold overhaul of the group. For the three months to September 30, HSBC took a 14 per cent profit beat falling to [...]
Labour are choosing to let London’s housing crisis get worse October 28, 2025 The Chancellor and the Mayor can choose to scrap affordable housing targets, abolish stamp duty, fast-track homes on state-owned land and reform the mortgage market. Or it can choose to let the housing crisis get worse, says Lord Bailey Housing and getting more homes built has been my passion from the moment I entered politics. [...]
Scrap stamp duty on shares or risk FTSE 100 exodus, Peel Hunt warns October 24, 2025 The government must scrap stamp duty taxed on share trades or risk a growing number of firms quitting London for the New York Stock Exchange, investment bank Peel Hunt has warned. As much as £200m is already set to be lost from government tax receipts by the decision of Astrazeneca, the FTSE 100’s largest constituent, [...]
A mansion tax would hit ordinary Londoners and stall the market October 24, 2025 A rumoured tax raid on sales of properties over £1.5m would be a disaster for Londoners, says James Evans With the Treasury neither confirming nor ruling out the prospect of a so-called ‘mansion tax’ – a capital gains levy thought to be based on the sale of primary residences above £1.5m – uncertainty is already [...]