Britons hit by £2bn tax bill for holiday season August 27, 2013 Taking a break has cost British holiday goers £2bn in tax last year, according to research by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA). That's a £500m increase on the same estimate in 2008. The TPA's research found that a family of six travelling to Spain would see an average tax bill of £187, while a trip to [...]
Booming tourism trade boosts Greece surplus August 19, 2013 GREECE’S booming summer tourism revenue has given a welcome boost to the cash-strapped country’s finances. Tourism, which is the country’s biggest foreign currency driver, rose 21 per cent year-on-year to €1.59bn (£1.36bn) for June, the first month of the summer holiday season. Surging visitor numbers also helped widen Greece’s current account surplus to €663m, from [...]
Culture and shopping in Shanghai and Hong Kong November 10, 2013 When Michelle Filmer went to China, she split her time between its two most vibrant cities. From luxury to history, she selects the top ten highlights of her visit 1. THE BUND The waterfront area in central Shanghai that runs along the west bank of the Huangpu river is known as The Bund. The west [...]
Fly away to the fantastical mountains of St Lucia September 26, 2013 There’s a lot of local charm beyond the idyllic beaches, azure waters and postcard sunsets, says Oliver Pickup WHAT connects Superman, Amy Winehouse, Oprah Winfrey, Blackbeard and Napoléon Bonaparte? No, it’s not my ultimate dinner party guest list – although that would be some karaoke line up. The link is that they have all been [...]
Fly away to the fantastical mountains of St Lucia September 22, 2013 There’s a lot of local charm beyond the idyllic beaches, azure waters and postcard sunsets, says Oliver Pickup WHAT connects Superman, Amy Winehouse, Oprah Winfrey, Blackbeard and Napoléon Bonaparte? No, it’s not my ultimate dinner party guest list – although that would be some karaoke line up. The link is that they have all been [...]
Letters to the Editor – 05/08 – Planning laws, tourist bonds, best of Twitter August 4, 2013 Planning Laws [Re: How hidden taxes and levies are pushing up UK house prices, Thursday] Alex Prince, in his letter to the editor last Thursday, implies that opposition to building developments arises exclusively from a local desire to retain green spaces. But another key reason for nimbyism is that an adjacent development will often reduce [...]
Letters to the Editor – 17/01 – Readers respond to our criticism of France’s failed socialist experiment January 16, 2014 Although I now live in China, I worked in France for 26 years, and have a lot of affection for the country and its people. Like Allister Heath, I feel sad to see the country going down the drain because it cannot rid itself of socialist dogma. The problem is that France is paralysed by [...]
UK government concerned by Spanish threats over Gibraltar August 4, 2013 THE UK government has revealed its concern over remarks made by Spain’s foreign minister over Gibraltar, the disputed British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said Spain will step up controls on Gibraltar following a dispute over fishing rights. In an e-mailed statement, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in [...]
Cameron puts European rights law on notice September 29, 2013 DAVID Cameron yesterday indicated that he is ready to pledge to abolish the Human Rights Act in the Conservatives’ manifesto for the 2015 general election. The Prime Minister said he would do “whatever that takes” to ensure Britain can deport foreign criminals that the government believes pose a threat to national security, including replacing the [...]
Welcome to Miami, the US party capital October 27, 2013 Miami is a hedonist’s paradise. Steve Dinneen discovers the nocturnal delights Florida’s clubbing hotspot has to offer A FRIEND of mine became a YouTube sensation on the eve of President Obama’s 2008 election victory. He drunkenly – and, with the benefit of hindsight, ill-advisedly – resigned from his job live on Dutch TV, complete with [...]