Budget 2015: A quick guide to all the key measures March 18, 2015 Chancellor delivers good news for savers and first-time buyers as he turns up heat on banks in play for votes ahead of election. UK ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ● The UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 last year. However, the economy grew by just 0.5 per cent in the final three months of 2014, [...]
Phoenix Group: Fraud up on change in pension rules March 18, 2015 Phoenix Group saw £8m-worth of attempted frauds targetting its customers last year, the firm revealed yesterday, as scammers tried to use the new rules as cover to steal funds. The warning came as Phoenix reported a 10 per cent rise in operating profits, which came in at £489m for 2014. Net incomes came in at [...]
Charles Taylor to raise £30.6m for acquisitions March 18, 2015 PROFESSIONAL services firm Charles Taylor is to raise £30.6m through a rights issue, in order to make more acquisitions and investments. David Marock, the group’s chief executive, said the business had built a strong platform for growth over the past three years, and was now seeing an “increased number and range of potential acquisitions, joint [...]
Budget 2015: Banks bear brunt of pre-election tax increases March 18, 2015 Britain’s banks were targeted yet again for a tax raid yesterday, as the chancellor hit them with the biggest tax hike of any sector. George Osborne increased the bank levy for the ninth time since it was introduced in 2011, in a move which will raise an extra £4.4bn in five years. The tax, which [...]
Self-employed workers to save £143 annually after NIC overhaul March 18, 2015 SELF-EMPLOYED workers will save an average of £143 a year under plans to abolish a form of national insurance contribution (NIC) paid by people who work for themselves. Class 2 National Insurance, which costs £2.75 a week for workers who make profits of over £5,885 a year, will be swept away in the next parliament [...]
Budget 2015: Here are George Osborne’s best quotes plus his Budget speech in full March 18, 2015 George Osborne's final Budget during this parliament had few surprises but plenty of great quips, including – to the dismay of bookies everywhere – a quip about Ed Miliband's now-infamous second kitchen. Here's a selection of our favourites from today's big speech. (Source: Getty/City A.M.) (Source: Getty/City A.M) (Source: Getty/City A.M.) [...]
Budget 2015: “Saving revolution” as Osborne pledges first-time buyer Isa March 18, 2015 George Osborne unveiled a Budget aimed at helping savers, first time buyers and pensioners today, with measures including a "Help to Buy Isa". Under the new rules, the government will contribute £50 for each £200 saved by first-time buyers. Savers who put away £12,000 could stand to make as much as £3,000 Just before he [...]
Banks’ London office footprint shrinks after heavy job losses March 17, 2015 Banks’ share of office space in London has shrunk by 13 per cent over the past decade as the industry struggles with heavy job losses in the wake of the financial crisis. A study by accountants Deloitte shows that the financial sector remains the biggest occupier in central London despite upheaval in the industry since [...]
Liquidity problems are the hot topic in Greece March 17, 2015 The crisis in Greece is deepening. What a difference a few months can make. Last year the country was able to tap the capital markets borrowing for three and five years paying interest of under five per cent. Its four main banks had received a cleanish bill of health in the European Central Bank’s Asset [...]
BDO: What we expect and hope for in today’s Budget March 17, 2015 Our tax policy over the past decade has largely ignored the UK’s mid-market businesses despite this section of the economy being a significant source of tax revenues and widely regarded as the engine room for future economic growth. This fact needs to be acknowledged, with more targeted reliefs and incentives aimed at stimulating this fundamental [...]