One in five hospitality firms have no cash reserves after tax raid August 20, 2025 A fifth of British hospitality businesses have no cash reserves left and nearly eight in 10 have raised prices as they battle to shoulder the succession of cost hikes placed on them at last year’s autumn Budget. Fresh data from four of the sector’s trade bodies showed that 69 per cent of members have less [...]
Reeves’ punitive property tax will hurt London the most August 19, 2025 Labour’s mulled property tax could stall the housing market - and it's Londoners who will suffer most, writes Steven Mulholland.
Tax hikes and Employment Rights Bill driving firms to contractors August 19, 2025 Business pressures from increased costs are prompting leaders to seek alternatives to stay afloat, including going off-payroll by drafting in contractors.
Horizon fallout: How the SRA is turning up the heat on City firms August 19, 2025 Following the Post Office Horizon scandal, the SRA is turning up the heat on in-house solicitors. Here's what it means for City firms.
Reeves mulls ‘punishingly high’ new property taxes August 18, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering replacing stamp duty with a new national property tax on homes above £500,000, according to fresh reports. Senior ministers in the Treasury have been asked to study how a new “proportional” levy could be implemented and to model its impact ahead of potential tax changes in the Autumn Budget, The [...]
Close Brothers shares downgraded despite motor finance win August 18, 2025 Analysts have slapped a downgrade on Close Brothers stock despite the bank’s motor finance win last month at the Supreme Court. The FTSE 250-listed bank’s stock rating was lowered to ‘Sector Perform’, down from previous ‘Outperform’ expectations. Close Brothers shares were down over four per cent in early trading to 494.80. It comes after the [...]
‘Weak fiscal position’ pushes UK borrowing costs to 27-year high August 18, 2025 Government borrowing costs have jumped over the past two weeks, flashing warning signs for Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The 30-year gilt yield hit 5.57 per cent on Friday before falling back to stick around 5.54 per cent when trading began on Monday. Gilt yields are higher than levels seen in April after President Trump announced sweeping [...]
More than 200 pubs closed in six months amid tax hikes August 18, 2025 Eight pubs a week shut their doors for good across the UK over the first half of the year amid rising tax and labour costs, according to new figures. Industry bosses said it is “heartbreaking” and highlighted the need for supportive tax measures from the Treasury in the autumn budget. Official Government statistics show 209 [...]
Exclusive: UK football clubs owe £1m in tax to HMRC August 18, 2025 Twenty lower league football clubs in the UK have fallen into arrears to the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), according to date from chartered accountants and business advisers Lubbock Fine shared with City AM. The value of Pay as You Earn (PAYE) payroll tax owed by football clubs was £1.04m as of 22 May 2025, [...]
The five fintech segments to watch August 18, 2025 Global fintech funding slumped to its worst half-year in five years in the first six months of 2025. Investment reached $44bn (£32.47bn), falling from $54.2bn the year prior, whilst the number of deals fell from 2,376 to 2,216. Weak investment in the three months to June 31 2025, hurt the headline figures, with just $18.7bn [...]