Get out the way: Small firms must be allowed to return UK to growth June 10, 2012 THE EUROZONE crisis is like a tragic opera: a torturous tale in which half the cast will be dead by the intermission. Of the Eurozone’s 17 characters, 12 are in recession, while all are banking on Germany to play the hero and keep the whole racket going. Monetarists and Keynesians disagree on how to return [...]
Producers of whisky look to middle classes in the BRICs June 6, 2012 WHENEVER Scottish nationalists are selling the case for independence, they peddle the myth that some clapped-out oil fields in the North Sea will bring decades of guaranteed prosperity. They would be better pinning their flimsy economic arguments on a liquid that is being exported in ever greater quantities: Scotch whisky. Diageo’s decision to invest £1bn [...]
HMRC disputes backlog grows as new tax complaints soar June 5, 2012 DISPUTES between taxpayers and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) hit a record high in the final quarter of 2011, according to new data out today, as the agency struggles to deal with a growing backlog of tribunal cases. The three-month period saw 3,400 new cases – a quarterly high taking the year’s total to 11,000, [...]
Diamond slams government for breaking taxpayer confidentiality May 28, 2012 BARCLAYS chief executive Bob Diamond has slammed the government for hitting the bank with a huge retrospective tax bill earlier this year and for damaging its reputation by “effectively naming” Barclays as the culprit in a tax avoidance scheme. In a letter to Andrew Tyrie, chair of the Treasury Select Committee of MPs, Diamond complains [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 21, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES SFO lawyer warned against pursuing Tchenguiz case The lead lawyer in the Serious Fraud Office’s investigation of the Tchenguiz brothers warned the agency two months before the property tycoons’ arrest that it should not pursue the case. In January 2011, Wayil Eisa, the lawyer tasked with drafting the case for the prosecution, submitted [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 16, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Google unveils search results rejig Google is preparing the biggest overhaul of its search results in five years, in a change likely to draw more fire from rivals amid intensifying antitrust investigations into the company. The new service will present users with detailed information about more than 500m “real world” items rather than [...]
Tackling football too hard over tax nets an own goal April 26, 2012 IT SEEMS that barely a week goes by at present without a dispute between Premier League football and HMRC. High-profile stories have included HMRC sending detailed questionnaires to all Premier League clubs on employment tax compliance, Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United settling outstanding image-rights liabilities, the ongoing football creditor case at the High Court [...]
London house market leading price recovery April 24, 2012 LONDON’S housing market has the strongest prospects in the country, according to a new survey, and official figures yesterday showed sales across the UK may be rising gradually. Almost 40 per cent of Britons think house prices will rise over the next year, compared with just 20 per cent who expect a drop, leaving the [...]
Top MPs angry at Osborne’s Budget leaks April 17, 2012 AN INFLUENTIAL group of MPs hit out at George Osborne’s handling of the budget today, accusing him of basing the 50p tax change on “highly uncertain” figures, adding extra complexity around the child benefit regime and failing to stop leaks. Citing the highly uncertain impact of the 50p tax, the Treasury Select Committee called for [...]
WILL THE PM HELP GOOD CAUSES? April 16, 2012 David Cameron yesterday insisted he wants to see charitable giving rise, and that a consultation on income tax relief caps would allow the government “plenty of time to get it right” before the caps are implemented next year. Since charities and some high profile donors have insisted that capping income tax relief on donations will [...]