Autumn Statement 2015: Stamp duty surcharge on buy-to-let properties will hit tenants not landlords, claims Blick Rothenberg November 26, 2015 George Osborne's three per cent surcharge on buy-to-let properties will harm tenants rather than landlords, chartered accountant Blick Rothenberg has claimed. Announced as part of yesterday's Autumn Statement, the charge has been branded a "badly-timed mistake", which could have the unintended consequence of pushing rental rates up, as landlords look to offset the higher costs they [...]
Manchester United 0, PSV Eindhoven 0: Blunt Reds lose grip on last 16 place November 25, 2015 Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal admitted that his side played with fear during their goalless draw with PSV Eindhoven last night which left their Champions League participation in the balance. The stalemate means United must dispatch group leaders Wolfsburg in their final group match on 8 December to guarantee qualification to the knockout phase. [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne bails himself out with a u-turn on tax credit cuts November 25, 2015 George Osborne rowed back on controversial and unpopular cuts to tax credits – but admitted that the U-turn will be offset by an £11.6bn raid on British businesses. The chancellor also avoided potential pitfalls such as having to make cuts to the police force, after an unexpected £53.2bn jump in expected tax receipts over the course of [...]
Sports Direct, Debenhams, Tesco and House of Fraser: What does Mike Ashley own and how much is he worth? November 25, 2015 It's been a busy year for Mike Ashley, who has been buying up retailers and football clubs left, right and centre. But what exactly does he own, and how much has it cost him? And what on earth do his Sports Direct shareholders make of all the investing? Sports Direct International Ashley owns 58 per [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: No, Mr Osborne, this is not a crisis of home ownership, it’s a housing crisis – where was the pledge to fix the rental market? November 25, 2015 The chancellor thinks we’re in the middle of a home ownership crisis. We're not, we're in the middle of a housing crisis. At least the Conservatives are consistent. Their one-track focus on home ownership and home ownership alone as the only solution for the UK’s housing crisis never wavers. Despite that the Conservatives still had [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne’s speech transcript in full including stamp duty, business rates and corporation tax announcements November 25, 2015 Mr Speaker, this Spending Review delivers on the commitment we made to the British people that we would put security first. To protect our economic security, by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring down our debt. To protect our national security, by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Osborne confirms new flat state pension will be £155.65 a week November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne today said that the new flat state pension will be £155.65 a week, while the basic state pension will rise by £3.35 to £119.30 a week from April. It came as he promised to maintain the state pension "triple lock" – meaning they'll rise in line with the highest of inflation, earnings or at [...]
The grass is always greener… Three Goldman Sachs investment bankers leave for Uber November 25, 2015 It's supposed to be one of the dream jobs for any banker, but three Goldman Sachs employees think the grass is greener… at Uber. Three mid-level bankers from Goldman Sachs' technology investment banking group, based in San Francisco, have left to join Uber recently, which was first reported by Reuters. The bank has always had a close [...]
Uber vs London Taxi Drivers’ Association: Sajid Javid knows the benefits of enterprise November 24, 2015 One should never assume that a Secretary of State for Business will be, by nature, pro-business. Fortunately, the current occupier of the role, Sajid Javid, most definitely is. He possesses an instinctive understanding of the benefits of enterprise, competition and innovation. This perspective is doubtless the product of having witnessed his immigrant father save enough money [...]
Tech unicorns face fresh bubble fear November 24, 2015 Traders are piling up short interest on early stage technology firms after a string of young companies made market-busting initial public offerings (IPOs). The so-called “unicorns” – companies which are valued at $1bn before they have launched onto the stock market – are being targeted by traders betting their share prices will fall. Although they [...]