Trust a trust to protect your child’s education November 25, 2012 SINCE 2002, private school fees have risen at 1.8 times the rate of inflation. The average cost today is £11,500 per year, up from £6,800 in 2002. Private education is becoming more of a luxury, and it may be a good idea to find a more innovative solution than relying on your Christmas bonus. A [...]
Boris slams plans for property tax as stamp duty hits market November 19, 2012 BORIS JOHNSON yesterday slammed Liberal Democrat politicians who are calling for property tax hikes, while urging Google and other companies criticised for tax avoidance to do more to benefit the UK. “It is absurd to be suddenly whacking up taxes on cash-poor people who happen to inhabit expensive houses in London when firms like Google [...]
Boris slams plans for property tax as stamp duty hits market November 19, 2012 BORIS JOHNSON yesterday slammed Liberal Democrat politicians who are calling for property tax hikes, while urging Google and other companies criticised for tax avoidance to do more to benefit the UK. “It is absurd to be suddenly whacking up taxes on cash-poor people who happen to inhabit expensive houses in London when firms like Google [...]
New broom Mark Carney has a lot of paperwork to sweep up November 28, 2012 FROM the forthcoming report of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards to a possible resignation letter from Paul Tucker: Mark Carney has an unenviable reading list before he sets foot in Threadneedle Street as the new Governor of the Bank of England. If he wants a genuine cold-towel moment ahead of his arrival, however, he [...]
Worries over fiscal cliff give way to concerns about latest US earnings January 7, 2013 INVESTORS’ fiscal cliff worries are likely to give way to more fundamental concerns, like earnings, as fourth-quarter reports get under way this week. Financial results, starting tomorrow with aluminum company Alcoa, are expected to be only slightly better than the third-quarter’s lacklustre results. As a warning sign, analyst current estimates are down sharply from what [...]
Autumn statement December 5, 2012 THE BUSINESS CONFEDERATION’S VIEW DIRECTOR GENERAL JOHN CRIDLAND The CBI is the UK’s top business lobbying organisation. It aims to influence government policy on a wide range of business matters. “£5bn on near-term infrastructure, like the tube to Battersea, half a billion a year tax relief for small firms, and £1.5bn extra export support should [...]
PTT beats Shell offer for Cove in bidding war May 23, 2012 THAI energy giant PTT yesterday trumped Shell’s offer for Cove Energy with a £1.22bn bid. The board of Cove recommended the new offer – equivalent to 240p per share – leaving Shell to decide on whether to try to outgun PTT. Cove has an 8.5 per cent stake in massive gas finds offshore northern Mozambique and [...]
PTT trumps Shell’s bid for Cove May 23, 2012 Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production has trumped Royal Dutch Shell’s bid for Mozambique-focused explorer Cove Energy by offering £1.22bn ($1.9bn). The move shows the growing international interest in East African gas finds. Cove management said just hours ahead of a deadline for investors to accept Shell’s bid, it now backed PTT’s 240 pence per share [...]
PTT trumps Shell’s bid for Cove May 23, 2012 Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production has trumped Royal Dutch Shell’s bid for Mozambique-focused explorer Cove Energy by offering £1.22bn ($1.9bn). The move shows the growing international interest in East African gas finds. Cove management said just hours ahead of a deadline for investors to accept Shell’s bid, it now backed PTT’s 240 pence per share [...]
Cove bids back on after tax spat April 10, 2012 Bids for oil and gas company Cove Energy are set to recommence after authorities in Mozambique cleared up uncertainties over tax. Cove, whose major operations are in Mozambique, put itself up for sale in January, attracting suitors including Royal Dutch Shell and Thailand’s PTT Exploration. But the process stalled after Mozambique said any deal would [...]