Starmer refuses to rule out VAT rise September 28, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to rule out any potential rises to VAT as he reinforced his commitment to Labour’s manifesto pledges in a new interview. In an interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, after being pressed on potential changes to VAT, Starmer said: “The manifesto stands. We made commitment in that manifesto and the [...]
YouTube launches Westminster forum to champion UK’s creator economy September 25, 2025 YouTube has unveiled a new cross-party parliamentary group dedicated to championing the UK’s digital creator economy, announced at its annual YouTube Festival in London yesterday. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for creators, co-chaired by former digital ministers Feryal Clark MP and Lord Ed Vaizey, will act as a formal bridge between policymakers and the country’s [...]
Wages soar to £1.5bn as HMRC ramps up on compliance staff September 24, 2025 HMRC has allocated over £1.5bn for 2024-25 to support staff in compliance, preventing and detecting fraud cases and collecting taxes, representing a 23 per cent increase on its 2021-22 staff bill. According to a freedom of information (FOI) shared with City AM by think tank Parliament Street, over the past fiscal year as part of [...]
Rachel Reeves urged to reconsider Labour manifesto tax pledges September 24, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned that tweaking small levies and relying on the wealthy to contribute to the state would hinder growth as another prominent report has called for Labour manifesto commitments to be reversed. In a report by the Institute for Government (IfG), Labour strategists were criticised for the party’s “original sin” of [...]
‘Cash cow’ inheritance tax receipts edge higher as further changes loom September 19, 2025 Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts are on course for a record breaking year, as an increasing number of Brits brace themselves for further potential tax changes. According to the latest HMRC data, IHT receipts hit £3.7bn in the first five months of the 2025/26 tax year, continuing their two decade long upward trend. This is also [...]
Savers stick to cash amid fears over investment risks September 18, 2025 Fears over falling stock prices are prompting UK savers to avoid investing, new research has found, with Brits preferring to park their earnings in cash. According to online trading platform IG, three in five savers believe any form of retail investing is too risky, despite government and industry figures’ encouragement to increase their exposure to [...]
Bolt: Uber rival’s profit almost wiped out as legal battles drag on September 18, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of Uber rival Bolt was almost wiped out during its latest financial year as it diverted considerable resources to its on-going legal battles. The online taxi firm has reported a pre-tax profit of £133,355 for 2024, down from the £8.2m it achieved in 2023. The business had previously made a [...]
HMRC’s new tax adviser legislation puts ‘undue burden’ on professionals September 16, 2025 From next April, tax advisers will be required to register with HMRC and meet certain minimum standards, as a top legal body has warned that this “risks undue burden on professionals.” Following a consultation carried out in 2024, HMRC published its policy paper and draft legislation in July, which outlined a new legal requirement for [...]
HMRC loses over £800m to small business ‘phoenixing’ September 12, 2025 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has lost more than £800m – more than previously estimated – through a tax loophole open to abuse by small businesses in the UK. The practice, known as ‘phoenixing‘, is where companies are repeatedly liquidate then set up as a new, identical, debt-free business. The tax authority lost £836m to this [...]
Revealed: How much profit Amazon makes in the UK September 10, 2025 Amazon’s UK profit has been revealed – with the total estimated to be well above the £500m mark. Unusually, Jeff Bezos’ empire doesn’t file a single set of group accounts for its UK activities, instead choosing to report each company’s results separately with no parent entity in this country. The picture is also further complicated [...]