Autumn Statement 2015: HMRC corporate tax overreach risks Britain’s business-friendly reputation unless George Osborne acts November 24, 2015 Five years may not be very long in many contexts, but in that time the tax world has changed significantly. The coalition’s Corporate Tax Roadmap, published in November 2010, declared that it wanted to create “the most competitive corporate tax regime in the G20”. In doing so, it highlighted four key ways in which the [...]
UK steel industry to save millions of pounds after being given extra time to meet EU emissions regulations October 27, 2015 The UK's steel industry is set to save huge sums of money, thanks to flexibility in new EU regulations on emissions. Certain plants across the country will have as many as four and a half extra years to come within the stringent requirements, which are being introduced across Europe in January 2016. The extra time will [...]
Bad EU regulations hold the City back: We need more influence over policy February 9, 2016 At the heart of David Cameron’s hard-fought EU renegotiation, there appear to be some misconceptions about how the City views its relationship with Europe. Although many institutions in the Square Mile have voiced support for the UK’s membership of the EU, there is also widespread concern about the City’s strained relationship with Brussels, whose policy-making on [...]
Could the collapse of Portugal’s government reignite the Eurozone debt crisis? November 11, 2015 Chris Bailey, European strategist at Raymond James, says Yes. So far this year, the Eurozone has avoided significant region-wide volatility as spill overs from events in Greece have not sustainably infected other countries or markets. But the still inconclusive outcome from Portugal’s General Election does not auger well. If the only viable government is one [...]
US ambassador to UK Matthew Barzun: Americans should continue to be in UK despite terror-related worldwide travel alert November 30, 2015 American citizens should continue to work, travel and study in Britain despite a worldwide travel alert put in place by the US state department, the US ambassador to the UK has said. Speaking to City A.M. this morning at the London Stock Exchange, ambassador Matthew Barzun said: "We need to be smart, and all of [...]
The spy who liked me: Facebook alerts users to snooping by governments October 19, 2015 Facebook is increasing its security measures with a new alert which tells users when their account is the target of spying by government authorities. In a post on Facebook, the company's head of security Alex Stamos said "we will notify you if we believe your account has been targeted or compromised by an attacker suspected of working on behalf of [...]
Buy-to-let tax changes: A perfect storm for landlords and tenants March 11, 2016 Upcoming tax changes have ignited debate about the role private landlords should play in meeting the UK’s housing needs. Focus has fallen on buy-to-let but, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, among others, has noted, landlords are taxed much less favourably than home owners. Following last year’s Autumn Statement, which outlined plans for an additional [...]
Eurozone GDP misses expectations November 13, 2015 Eurozone GDP nudged up 0.3 per cent in the third quarter, missing expectations and marking a slight slowdown in growth from the previous three months. The bloc had expected to report growth of 0.4 per cent, which would have kept it flat with the second quarter. The figures show that the Eurozone is growing slower [...]
Government to launch £4m fund to help boost UK’s video games industry October 12, 2015 A £4m fund has been launched by the government to help boost the UK's booming video games industry, hoping to help smaller companies to a sector "which has already given the world global blockbusters like Tomb Raider, Little Big Planet, Runescape, Monument Valley and Batman: Arkham Knight". Read more: Sales of video games help boost dwindling [...]
When it comes to fair practices for small business the government is tinkering at the edges: The UK must outlaw late payments completely October 15, 2015 The time has come to ban payment of invoices after 90 days to signal the end of Britain’s late payment culture and deliver a much-needed boost to small and medium-sized businesses. SMEs are being stifled by a lack of funding from traditional banks, which has cost the UK economy an estimated £2.9bn in lost turnover [...]