Real tax reform is an impossibility until we shrink the size of the state April 4, 2012 EVERY year about this time, as the daffodils start blooming there is a call from some think tank, academic or economist for major tax reform. This year, it was Andrew Sentance, writing in The Forum. There are two responses that a politician can make to this. The wise but cautious one pays lip service to [...]
UTILISE WHAT GOVERNMENT ALREADY GIVES March 18, 2012 EVEN the staunchest opponent of George Osborne would have to concede that there is no silver bullet to reduce the deficit and boost growth that can come out of Wednesday’s Budget. So, what do we expect? Clearly some quick, high level cost-cutting measures. The personal allowance is already pledged to increase to at least £8,105. [...]
Twin products for the skilled trader March 12, 2012 MARKET volatility is often a problem for investors. But some, with the talent and bravery to turn turbulence into a boon for their portfolios, make good use of a pair of derivative products – contracts for difference (CFD) and spread betting. How should you choose which to use? Functionally, they are more similar than different. [...]
Twin products for the skilled trader March 12, 2012 MARKET volatility is often a problem for investors. But some, with the talent and bravery to turn turbulence into a boon for their portfolios, make good use of a pair of derivative products – contracts for difference (CFD) and spread betting. How should you choose which to use? Functionally, they are more similar than different. [...]
Accountants can boost UK exports October 16, 2012 Smaller firms need advice before they can expand abroad LEGACY was one of the reasons London won the rights to host the unquestionably successful Olympic and Paralympic games. We all get a warm glow when one of our medallists pops up on Question of Sport or we read statistics showing that thousands are trying new [...]
Wet weather leads to drought for revenue growth for Britvic July 19, 2012 THE SUMMER washout has dampened sales of soft drinks, Britvic complained yesterday as it reported a deluge of disappointing figures. Britvic’s revenues dropped 7.6 per cent in the quarter, hurt by a currency impact as well as falling sales. The firm was last month forced to recall its Fruit Shoot drinks after a choking scare [...]
What was in Osborne’s red box: our quick summary March 22, 2012 THE ECONOMY/PUBLIC FINANCES The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that UK GDP will grow by around 0.8 per cent this year, the same rate as in 2011, up from its earlier forecast of 0.7 per cent. The beneficial effects of falling inflation are expected to be offset by uncertainty over the Eurozone and tighter [...]
The five most useful things to know about Junior Isas February 5, 2012 JUNIOR Isas were launched in November 2011. Any child born before September 2002, who does not already have a Child Trust Fund (CTF), can be signed up, as well as all children born after 3 January 2011. The Junior Isa scheme supplants the CTF (though the government does not contribute to the new scheme), and [...]
Sclerotic jobs figures put the economy off-limits for Obama’s campaign July 11, 2012 THE US economy is still stumbling, creating a severe problem for President Barack Obama’s hopes for re-election in November. In June, the private sector created an abysmal 80,000 new jobs. Unemployment remains high at 8.2 per cent, and there’s little prospect of it dropping any time soon. With 117 days to election day, America’s ongoing [...]
Nation’s ailing start-ups get fresh support November 29, 2011 GEORGE Osborne hopes to stimulate Britain’s flagging economic recovery with yet more measures to encourage wealthy individuals to back start-ups. He will extend the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) to offer income tax relief of 50 per cent to individuals who invest up to £100,000 and to companies which provide backing of up to £150,000. The [...]