Accountants call for a cut in national insurance contributions March 29, 2015 Accountants have put a reduction in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) at the top of their election wishlist. Cuts to NICs were seen as the highest priority for tax cuts with 49 per cent of accountants favouring a reduction, according to figures released today by Bloomsbury Professional, a tax and accounting information group. The second [...]
Data deluge: Microsoft boss Dave Coplin on how SMEs can best harness technology March 29, 2015 What if, instead of making us smarter, the technology we surround ourselves with was actually making us less efficient? This perhaps unpalatable suggestion becomes even more surprising when made by a man entitled “chief envisioning officer” of one of the world’s largest technology companies. But Microsoft’s Dave Coplin made just this point when speaking at [...]
Storing, shipping and delivering your wine March 27, 2015 Physical Storage of Wine Holdings The UK is one of the largest hubs of fine wine in the world with an estimated £1.5 billion worth stored here in bonded warehouses. These are custom built warehouses that provide the perfect temperature, humidity and security allowing collectors to store wine ‘in bond’, meaning they do not need [...]
MPs tell FCA to sharpen up after insurance fiasco March 26, 2015 The City watchdog has not learned its lessons from the bungled insurance announcement which rocked insurance firms’ shares last year, an influential group of MPs said in a hard-hitting report today. Sloppy communications between the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and a newspaper led to a report that the watchdog was planning a probe into millions [...]
Tough at the top: Will the FTSE giants fall from grace? March 26, 2015 From dividend cuts, to the accounting scandals just waiting to happen, SVM’s Colin McLean talks to Annabelle Williams about the potential pitfalls facing the UK market. The last few years have been tough for the UK’s biggest companies, as FTSE giants from supermarkets and banks, to insurers and oil majors, have come under pressure. [...]
Accounts with benefits: The perks of premium bank accounts March 26, 2015 Nothing says “badge of success” quite like a private bank account. Historically, offering them to customers has been the preserve of the private bank, but in recent years, growing numbers of high street institutions have begun to offer packaged – or premium – accounts to customers with substantial savings and (more often than not) six-figure [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Sue Round talks fund management, sentimentality and being broke March 26, 2015 Buongiorno signora!” bellows the exuberant waiter at Bolton’s, an Italian tucked away in an unassuming corner near Leadenhall Market. “Hello, hellooo” comes the response. I know Sue Round has arrived, even before I see her. She greets me warmly, as if we’ve known each other for years. In fact, I’ve met Sue only once before [...]
Banks are back: How the UK’s banking sector got its mojo back as dividend payments rise March 26, 2015 The UK’s banks are back on form and could be the best place to invest for good and growing dividends. British banks such as Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays were once the best places to invest for solid dividends. Ten years ago, banks provided a quarter of all dividends in the UK market, according to figures [...]
Parties promise no tax hikes on eve of crunch election campaign March 25, 2015 PRIME Minister David Cameron pledged not to raise VAT if he is re-elected in May, during a heated exchange between the PM and Ed Miliband during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) yesterday. In a further twist later in the day, Labour’s Ed Balls vowed that his party would not raise national insurance contributions (NICs) if they [...]
City Moves for 26 March 2015 | Who’s switching jobs March 25, 2015 London Capital Group The online trading firm has appointed Charles-Henri Sabet (pictured) as chief executive. He was previously executive chairman of the company, and joined the board in September 2014. Charles Poncet has been appointed non-executive chairman. He was a non-executive director of the firm. Old Mutual Global Investors The asset management firm has appointed [...]