UK unveils plans for frictionless post-Brexit trade between UK nations July 15, 2020 The government will tomorrow outline plans to ensure post-Brexit regulatory alignment on trade across the four UK nations in a bid to ensure frictionless internal trade. The white paper will propose a principle of “mutual recognition” whereby regulations that are set by devolved governments are recognised across the country to allow for internal trade. It [...]
Chris Grayling loses committee chair vote in Tory rebellion July 15, 2020 Former cabinet secretary Chris Grayling has failed to win the chairmanship of the Intelligence and Security Committee, despite being handpicked by Boris Johnson for the role, with fellow Tory MP Julian Lewis instead elected. The ex-transport secretary was expected to be voted into the role, however some Conservative MPs on the committee rebelled and instead [...]
Rishi Sunak shoots down speculation he will raise capital gains tax July 15, 2020 Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from reports that he is looking at increasing capital gains tax to help pay for the government’s Covid-19 spending. The Treasury announced yesterday it was commissioning the Tax Simplification Office to conduct a study “asking for “evidence to seek views about capital gains tax”, prompting speculation from financial services firms [...]
McDonald’s, KFC and Wetherspoon among chains to slash prices after government VAT cut July 15, 2020 High street cafe and restaurant chains including McDonald’s, KFC and Wetherspoon have slashed prices in response to the government’s decision to cut VAT for the sector. Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week announced that VAT would be reduced from 20 per cent to five per cent for hospitality and tourism businesses. Fast food favourites and casual [...]
Number of jobs available in London plummets due to coronavirus July 15, 2020 The number of jobs available in London during the second quarter plummeted as the coronavirus crisis took hold. In April, there was a 72 per cent drop in the number of job vacancies with just a one per cent decrease in job seekers across the period, according to Morgan McKinley research. By the end of [...]
McDonald’s to cut prices following government VAT break July 14, 2020 McDonald’s has announced it will slash prices after the government announced a VAT cut, as the fast food giant gears up to open for dine-in customers for the first time since March. McDonald’s said it had recommended that franchisees reduce prices on meal deals and classic products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with [...]
Rishi Sunak orders review into UK capital gains tax July 14, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has commissioned a report into capital gains taxes, which could lead to the government increasing the tax burden to help pay for its coronavirus spending. Sunak has asked the Office of Tax Simplification to conduct the review, with the body launching a survey today asking for “evidence to seek views about capital [...]
Has the dream of a ‘V-shaped’ economic recovery died? July 14, 2020 Much has been made of whether or not the UK is going to see a ‘V-shaped’ economic recovery from coronavirus. That is, a sharp fall in output followed by an almost equally quick rebound. Those hoping for such a sharp bounce-back appeared to have been dealt a harsh blow today when official figures showed the [...]
Firms may still be taxed even if they return furlough money July 14, 2020 Businesses may still be taxed on the furlough scheme funds they receive even if they return the cash to HMRC. At the start of the coronavirus lockdown the government introduced the job retention scheme, which pays 80 per cent of salary costs for furloughed staff. Last week Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the “job retention bonus” [...]
DEBATE: Is there any point in members of the wealthy elite calling for higher taxes in response to Covid-19? July 14, 2020 In light of this week’s Millionaires for Humanity letter, is there any point in members of the wealthy elite calling for higher taxes in response to Covid-19? Gary Stevenson, inequality economist and trader, says YES. On Monday, 83 millionaires — myself included — signed an open letter calling on governments to raise taxes on people [...]