Punitive tax hikes jeopardise UK banks’ competitiveness September 20, 2015 Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, wisely noted that only two things are certain in life: death and taxes. Unfortunately, his observation – or at least half of it – no longer holds true today. When it comes to banking, uncertainty on tax has become a serious concern. [...]
Vote on relaxing the fox hunting has been postponed after SNP said it would oppose changes July 14, 2015 A vote on relaxing the Hunting Act has been postponed after the SNP said it will vote against relaxing fox hunting laws, and thereby renege on a pledge not to vote on issues that have no impact on Scotland. While Conservative MPs had been given a free vote on a proposal to relax the use [...]
What does a “no” vote mean for Greece and Europe? July 5, 2015 Tonight the Greeks have shocked Eurozone officials by voting "no" to more austerity measures in return for unblocking aid that the cash-strapped country so desperately needs. [XX] Prime minister Alexis Tsipras "No" doesn't necessarily imply Grexit A "no" vote, in which the current government becomes more politically entrenched. This is likely to be viewed negatively by [...]
Uber consultation: Why everyone should calm down over Transport for London’s minicab proposals October 7, 2015 When TfL announced a timely and entirely appropriate review of the regulations governing London's Private Hire Vehicles (minicabs to you and me) both the headline writers and spin doctors went into overdrive. Uber faces massive crackdown in London and Uber under threat in London we read. Uber's lavishly resourced communications team swung into action, ludicrously describing the proposals [...]
ECB holds Eurozone interest rates July 16, 2015 The European Central Bank (ECB) kept interest rates unchanged at records lows, at a meeting of its 25-member governing council today. "At today’s meeting the Governing Council of the ECB decided that the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain [...]
Greek debt crisis: The bailout alone will not save Greece now and time is running out for Alexis Tsipras August 12, 2015 A significant step forward was achieved yesterday, with the technical agreement fleshing out the €85bn deal made by Greece and its Eurozone partners last month. The three-year plan involves some 35 measures, from further taxes and cuts, to reforms and privatisations, lowering of pensions and farmer subsidies, to rises in retirement age and VAT rates [...]
Building the next five years in alternative finance: How marketplace lending is becoming part of industry furniture July 15, 2015 When we look back, 2015-16 will be seen as the watershed moment: when peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and crowdfunding made the big time, transitioning from quirky innovation to a respected alternative source of finance and investment opportunities. The government has clearly been persuaded of the potential benefits of so-called alternative finance – especially as a [...]
Tory MP Richard Fuller backs Uber London calling for parliament to scrutinise TfL’s proposals for new laws October 6, 2015 A member of a powerful commons committee is calling on colleagues in parliament to scrutinise Transport for London (TfL) over its drastic new proposals to impose draconian regulations on Uber and other private hire car services. Richard Fuller, a Conservative MP who sits on the business select committee, told City A.M. the proposals were “precisely [...]
GCSE results 2015: Six ways Britain’s world-beating education system could be better still August 20, 2015 With the publication of GCSE results, education is in the spotlight once again. Despite inevitable criticisms of our schools, colleges and universities, we should remind ourselves occasionally that what we have is, in world terms, a pretty good set-up. Young people get access to free schooling up to 18 and to higher education effectively free [...]
A guaranteed minimum income is not a welfare reform silver bullet October 26, 2015 There is a growing recognition that current social welfare programmes are inadequate at best and counterproductive at worst. The debt and taxes needed to finance these programmes continues to rise, yet far too many people remain trapped in poverty. As a result, there is a growing search for alternatives. One idea drawing renewed interest [...]