Meet the Co-op traditionalists’ top dog March 11, 2014 Ben Reid, the chief executive of the Midcounties Co-operative, is seen as the likely flag-bearer for the traditionalists in a battle for control of the Co-operative Group. The traditionalists have been opposed to many of the measures the departed chief executive Euan Sutherland has been trying to impose, such as restructuring, the selling off of [...]
Three things you didn’t know about… March 10, 2014 Senior Partner at KPMG Kevin Smith 1 Kevin used to be a drugs officer in HMRC – he joined as a junior and “went straight into the drugs cruise.” He used to take boats to pieces and put them back together again to try and find drugs. 2 He has a 1ft high zombie gnome [...]
Can you handle these 3 facts on immigration? March 5, 2014 Last night, a Newsnight report claimed the publication of a much-anticipated cross-governmental report on immigration has been put off by Downing Street, because it points to immigration having a smaller impact than the government claims. The BBC's detailed how Number 10 sources have said the report isn’t ready for release, but how, according to officials, [...]
How to take Aim with growth market stocks March 4, 2014 SHARES listed on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) have surged in popularity since August last year, when they became eligible for inclusion in Isas. And from the date the new rules were introduced until mid-February, the FTSE Aim market has outperformed the FTSE All Share, returning 18.9 per cent compared to just 2.1 per cent. [...]
French invasion heralds the collapse of tax and spend March 4, 2014 PIMLICO Plumbers will be a familiar brand to many readers – it has a prominent advert on the approach into Waterloo station. But the company is now calling for plumbers who are fluent in both English and French, and says applicants will be interviewed by a native French speaker. This is just the tip of [...]
Energy firms among worst billers March 3, 2014 One fifth of households have been billed wrongly by energy suppliers, according to new research today commissioned by comparison service uSwitch. The energy industry is among the worst billers for the eighth year running, only surpassed by HMRC, according to customers surveyed by market research firm YouGov. The average amount owed following a billing error [...]
UK set to abolish tax on Bitcoin March 3, 2014 The UK is planning to scrap VAT on the trading of digital currency Bitcoin, reports the Financial Times. A briefing by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said it would end the 20 per cent VAT on Bitcoin transactions, adding that it would not tax margins as well. A formal announcement is expected later in [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 03 March 2014 March 3, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Britain to scrap VAT on Bitcoin trades Britain’s tax authority plans to ditch value added tax on Bitcoin trading only days after the collapse of Mt Gox, one of the virtual currency’s leading exchanges, losing almost $500m of customer deposits. In a meeting with a group of UK traders last week, HM Revenue [...]
Celebrity chefs treat financiers at Carpenters’ Hall for FoodCycle February 27, 2014 DINERS from the likes of Rothschild Advisors, New Amsterdam Capital and Spayne Lindsay were in for a treat when they showed up at Carpenters’ Hall on London Wall last night, for the FoodCycle Mardi Gras Feast last night. A champagne reception with canapes by Salt Yard’s Ben Tish was followed by a rather special banquet. [...]
The real reason squeezing the rich makes us all poorer February 26, 2014 RADICAL reform of income tax is not only desirable, but completely possible. To achieve it, however, proponents of change need to provide a strong evidence base for a much flatter tax system, with a much lower top rate in the UK in particular. We need to show that the optimal revenue-raising top rate of tax [...]