Why the devil is always in the detail March 24, 2010 YOU must hand it to Alistair Darling: to have to unveil a budget deficit of 11.8 per cent of GDP, roughly the same as Greece’s, would have destroyed a lesser politician. The fact that he was able to portray such an abysmal outcome as a triumph is the final proof that contemporary Britain is now [...]
Darling aims for harmony on bank tax March 24, 2010 CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling yesterday threw his full weight behind a drive for international coordination on the implementation of a global risk tax on banks at an International Monetary Fund meeting next month. “This must be brought forward quickly, as I will urge international finance ministers in Washington next month,” Darling said as he presented his [...]
City workers slam class war Budget March 24, 2010 THE City was left unconvinced by yesterday’s Budget, slamming Darling for failing to provide a clear outline on how the government was planning to reduce its huge deficit. Banks were being sent a contradictory message, critics said, pointing out that Darling has asked nationalised banks such as Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland to [...]
Big earners hit for six by the Budget March 24, 2010 Darling’s Budget offers few smiles for the wealthy. Personal allowances for people with incomes over £100,000 will be gradually eroded over the next three years. Anyone earning more than £150,000 a year will be hit with the new 50p rate of tax. It means the UK is now the second most expensive place for big [...]
Time Line | the shifting landscape of uk taxes March 24, 2010 9 November 2009 50 per cent bank bonus tax on anything over £25,000 introduced as government reacts to anger at financial institutions. 1 January 2010 Rate of VAT goes back up from 15 to 17.5 per cent as planned when the change was brought in at the height of the recession. 1 January 2010 Stamp [...]
Darling prepares for last throw of the dice March 23, 2010 PUBLIC FINANCES/ECONOMICS l Darling is expected to stand by his growth forecasts of between 1 and 1.5 per cent this for year. In 2011, he expects the economy to grow between 3.25 and 3.75 per cent. Public sector net borrowing will come in around £10bn lower than the chancellor’s £178bn forecast, although it is still [...]
Obama healthcare bill passed March 22, 2010 The US House of Representatives has voted in favour of Barack Obama’s healthcare reform bill by a slim margin. The bill was passed by 219 votes to 212, after a fiery debate. It extends state-aided healthcare coverage to 32m more Americans and is a flagship policy for the US president. Obama said: “We proved that [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS March 21, 2010 Prupim Asia The real estate investment company, a joint venture between Prupim UK and Prudential’s Asian fund management business, has appointed Scott Girard as its new chief executive. Girard, currently chief investment officer at the firm, started his career at ANZ Funds Management in Australia before working at a consultancy. He takes over from Alex [...]
EU’s Barnier pledges to tackle CDS March 17, 2010 The European Commission will propose controls on how investors bet on the chances of government debt defaults as soon as June to curb speculation blamed for aggravating Greece’s borrowing problems. Restricting trading by hedge funds of sovereign credit default swaps (CDS) or debt insurance, is high on the European Union’s political agenda as finance ministers [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 16, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES EX-EMPLOYEE SUES SOCGEN FOR џ12M Societe Genrale, France’s second-largest bank, is being sued for more than џ12.5m (£11.3m) by its former head of European fixed income after his contract was terminated at the start of the credit crunch. The High Court heard yesterday that Raphael Geys, its London-based former managing director of European [...]