Unemployment Falls
Figures out today (March 19) from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the unemployment rate held steady at 7.2 per cent in the three months to January.Continue reading
Childcare Boost For Working Parents
In a pre-Budget announcement the Government has announced a new tax break scheme, due to come into force from Autumn 2015, for the working parents of children up to the age of 12 who need to pay for child care.Continue reading
Optimism On Output
Manufacturers in the UK are optimistic about the future, reporting higher output and orders during the first two months of the year than in the final quarter of last year.Continue reading
National Minimum Wage To Rise Above Inflation
It was announced this week that the national minimum wage (NMW) will increase for adults by 3 per cent, or 19p an hour, taking it to £6.50, while the rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will rise by 10p to £5.13, an increase of 2 per cent.Continue reading
More Calls To Scrap 40p Top Tax Rate
With the 2015 election looming, Chancellor George Osborne is coming under increasing pressure from within his own party to make announcements in the Budget that will win the Tories votes, and is being advised that scrapping the 40p rate could be an “iconic pledge”.Continue reading
Good News For Growth
According to the latest forecast from the Organisation of Economic Co–operation and Development (OECD), the UK will have the fastest rate of economic growth of any G7 major nation by the middle of the year, with an annualised growth rate forecast of 3.3 per cent. Continue reading
Economic Growth To Reach Pre-Recession Peak By Summer
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has predicted that the UK economy will exceed its pre-recession peak in the second quarter of this year, two years ahead of previous estimates. Continue reading
Upfront Payments Of Tax Bills Proposed
Controversial proposals by the Treasury to clear a backlog of 65,000 tax avoidance cases dating back to 2004 by seeking upfront payments have been slammed by tax advisors, who say the measures would be retrospective and “completely contrary to natural justice”. Continue reading
Five Years On, The Rate Remains The Same
It is five years since the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) lowered UK interest rates to 0.5 per cent, where they have stayed ever since, and yesterday’s (March 6) decision was to keep them there for another month. Continue reading
SMEs Urged To Join Swaps Compensation Scheme
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has urged around 1,900 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that were mis-sold interest rate hedging products, or ‘swaps’ by banks to join its compensation scheme, as it revealed that only £482m has been paid out of the nearly £4bn set aside to compensate firms.Continue reading
Can we help? Talk to our expert team