Spring budget: Back to work, childcare and post Brexit customs – what do we know so far? March 13, 2023 This Wednesday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will stand on the steps of No11 Downing Street – holding the famous Budget 2023 red box. Of his five predecessors, just Rishi Sunak was even in post long enough to reach this point. Political turmoil aside, his spring statement will also follow months of financial chaos, after economic shocks [...]
Start-up tax pain could scupper Rishi Sunak’s science superpower dreams, investors warn March 10, 2023 Further tax pain inflicted on the UK’s start-ups could scupper Rishi Sunak’s tech and science superpower plans, venture capital firms have warned. The warning comes as Jeremy Hunt prepares to announce his first full budget next week. Start-ups have piled pressure on Hunt to reverse changes to research and development tax credits announced in the [...]
Citizens Advice calls for better use of personal data to create social tariff March 8, 2023 The government should use Brits' personal data about income tax rates and energy usage to create a new social tariff, argues Citizens Advice.
We should be concerned about privacy – but we still need to introduce digital IDs March 8, 2023 Some people are very sceptical about the concept of digital identity. But digital IDs are more of an infrastructure than anything else - one that would make accessing public services a lot easier, writes Rosie Beacon
State pension: Government extends National Insurance top-up contribution deadline March 7, 2023 The government has confirmed the deadline for filling gaps in state pension National Insurance (NI) contribution records will be extended from 5 April 2023 to 31 July this year The April deadline applied to back payments from 2006, but concerns had been raised people were struggling to get through to jammed HMRC phonelines. The update [...]
Will the UK benefit from US regulators’ fumble on digital assets? March 7, 2023 The inability of US authorities to make sense of the cryptocurrency industry presents a great opportunity for the UK to become the 'capital of crypto'.
London house prices fall but still almost double national average according to Halifax property index March 7, 2023 London house prices have fallen by almost one per cent from January, but property in the capital still costs £240,000 more than the national average. Halifax’s latest house price index for February showed the rate of annual national growth slowed across the UK, with the average property now sitting at £285,476. In the capital however, [...]
Isa explainer: should you go for cash or stocks & shares? February 23, 2023 Savers have just over four weeks to make the most of this year’s tax-free savings allowance. We look at the different types of ISA available and how to find the one that’s right for you. Individual Savings Accounts, or Isas, were introduced by the government to encourage more people to save and allow savers to [...]
Inheritance tax brought in nearly £600m a month, as experts warn that frozen threshold is punishing taxpayers February 21, 2023 Inheritance tax (IHT)receipts for January 2023 totalled £578m up from £443m in the same month a year ago, according to HMRC figures. It takes the total inheritance tax take for the 2022-23 Financial Year to date to £5.9 billion, £853 million higher than through the same period last year. The total IHT take for 2021-22 [...]
Savers warned of approaching state pension National Insurance ‘top-up’ deadline February 17, 2023 Those with missing years in their state pension contribution record between 2006 and 2017 have until April 5 to make voluntary contributions, an investment platform has warned From 6 April the number of extra years available to purchase drops to the last six tax years Alice Haine, personal finance Analyst at Bestinvest, a DIY investment platform [...]