Passengers may face a £1bn bill from air tax rise June 16, 2011 AIRLINE Virgin Atlantic yesterday warned that proposed changes to Air Passenger Duty (APD) could cost holidaymakers £1bn in extra taxes, as the government prepares to close its consultation on the matter today. APD raised £2bn in 2010, but in its response to the possible reforms Virgin said this could jump to £3bn – with costs passed [...]
Ulusaba: Where to experience the ultimate safari Where Branson goes to discover the Big Five May 30, 2011 SO much for telling stories around a campfire while on safari. For my merry gang, the tales of adventure started in the transfer lounge at Johannesburg as we waited to board a 12-seater plane bound for Ulusaba, Richard Branson’s lodge just north of Kruger. The chitchat went something like this: “Did you hear about the [...]
Burberry fast tracks expansion plan as profit soars May 26, 2011 Burberry is stepping up spending on new stores and upgrading existing ones to cash in on a boom in spending on luxury goods, it said as it met forecasts with a 39 per cent leap in annual profit. The British maker of raincoats and handbags, best known for its camel, red and black check pattern, [...]
Plan to alter air tax sparks industry rage May 17, 2011 BUDGET airline EasyJet will today launch a campaign warning the government against changing the air passenger duty as proposed in the Budget, claiming such a move would reduce British GDP by £2.6bn. EasyJet today releases a report, written by Frontier Economics, which will claim that moving the levy would also reduce tourist spending by £475m [...]
Tourist tax rise scrapped and Learjet raid delayed March 23, 2011 THE chancellor scrapped a planned rise in air passenger duty yesterday, but admitted that legal difficulties have shelved a change to aviation tax. Air passenger duty will be frozen this year, with a hike linked to the retail price index planned for April 2012, George Osborne said. The government said in the emergency June Budget [...]
KNEES UP AT TREASURY IF GEORGE HAS A BEER March 22, 2011 AHEAD of today’s Budget, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is trying to loosen up chancellor George Osborne – and his stance on beer tax – by dropping by the Treasury to hand-deliver a hamper of Britain’s finest beers. With the Budget speech the one day that the chancellor is allowed an on-duty tipple, [...]
What the other papers say this morning January 23, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES AUDITORS SEEK TO EASE FEARS The four biggest auditors have denied that their dominance of the market for large companies had created a systemic risk akin to that posed by the leading banks. Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC have told the European Commission that they are willing to help draw up [...]
Culture, sand and sun: a day in Oman just isn’t enough November 28, 2010 MUSCAT in the Sultanate of Oman is set on the edge of rough desert landscapes overlooking sparkling emerald seas. Today it’s a sought-after holiday spot for those in search of pristine diving waters, year-round sunshine and an authentic Arabian experience. Nothing like its glitzy neighbour, Dubai. It’s my third visit in a decade and is [...]
Far from the Medina crowd November 14, 2010 MARRAKECH might not immediately spring to mind when choosing somewhere to unwind. And to be sure, its main square Jemaa el Fna delivers noise, commotion, smoke and crowds, with tourists tripping over dancing monkeys and baskets of cobras to get to their next tagine. But there’s another side to the pink city, away from the [...]
Ruling the theatre roost November 11, 2010 OF all the areas you might expect a canny private equity firm to invest serious bucks, the theatre business – with its reputation for volatile actors and directors, no less volatile audiences, and millions poured into shows that can fold almost immediately – might not be top of the list. However, London firm Exponent has [...]