Exclusive: National Insurance hiked by 135 per cent in 20 years, much faster than any other tax September 7, 2021 The government announced a new Health and Social Care Levy earlier today, which will effectively hike National Insurance Contributions for employees and employers by 1.25 per cent from April 2022. So how often are NICs used to pay for government investments and additional public spending? City A.M. studied the last twenty years. Tax receipts from [...]
After 18 months of sporadic education, schools need a reset September 7, 2021 Throughout this week, close to 9 million pupils will return to school, after 18 months of constant disruption caused by the pandemic. What have we learnt? That school is best in person, obviously – but also that the pandemic has also amplified the scale of inequalities across the national educational system. The UK government has just launched its “back [...]
Welcome to the one country where Bitcoin can be used as cash September 7, 2021 El Salvador has made history by becoming the first country in the world to make Bitcoin legal tender as part of a pioneering economic experiment. From today, Bitcoin will be accepted by businesses across the country alongside the US dollar. Every citizen will receive $30 worth of bitcoin pre-loaded onto a government sanctioned e-wallet. The [...]
How much is that window with the doggie? An end to no-pets leases September 6, 2021 We are a nation of animal-lovers. 45 per cent of UK homes have a pet, of which the most popular is man’s best friend, the dog (7.3 million), followed by man’s most inscrutable observer, the cat (7.2 million). But we also keep rabbits and rats, hamsters and horses, snakes and salamanders. These numbers have swollen [...]
Zahawi: Government ‘on track’ to roll out mandatory vaccine passports for night clubs September 5, 2021 The government is “absolutely on track” to roll out mandatory vaccine passports for night clubs and mass events at the end of this month, according to vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi. Zahawi said today that the government wants to “work with the [nightlife] industry to make sure they can open safely…in the long term” and that [...]
National Insurance hikes for social care are a reverse Robin Hood picking the pockets of the young and poor September 4, 2021 The Health Secretary Sajid Javid is pushing for a 1% to 2% rise in national insurance to fund social care and the NHS. The Cabinet are reportedly split on the size of the increase, but not on the idea itself. A manifesto-breaking tax rise of some proportion is expected to be announced next week. The [...]
Covid jabs for healthy teens not recommended by UK vaccine body September 3, 2021 The Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the government on its jab rollout, has decided not to recommend Covid vaccines for healthy 12 to 15-year-olds. After an assessment that focused on health grounds alone, the JCVI has now referred the matter to the UK’s four chief medical officers to review. The JCVI [...]
Banksy’s shredded artwork is back under the hammer – for up to six times the price September 3, 2021 Banksy’s “Love is in the Bin”, formerly Girl With Balloon before it partially self-destructed at the moment of sale in 2018, is back up for auction at Sotheby’s in October – and it could be worth up to six times more in its semi-shredded state. The painting of a young girl holding a red heart-shaped [...]
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was worth the wait September 3, 2021 A new hero emerges in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with opponents both on the screen and in real life. Shang-Chi has endured pushback from China, a large market and a country understandably sceptical about a comic book with a history of disrespectful depictions of Asian people being adapted. While work has been done to modernise [...]
Breaking: Covid vaccines for teens rejected by government advisers – CityAM : CityAM September 3, 2021 Government advisers have reportedly shot down plans to roll out an immunisation programme for 12 to 15 year olds. Although the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has referred 200,000 children with underlying health conditions to get jabbed, experts decided that there was no overwhelming benefit of the vaccine for children, the Independent first [...]