Neil Kinnock: Mansion tax is just the cost of lunch for the “prosperous” February 18, 2015 Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has dismissed fears that the so-called mansion tax would hurt the pockets of middle class Londoners, saying it was little more than they spend on lunch. The controversial policy being put forward by the shadow government would see a levy imposed on homes worth more than £2m. The [...]
Balls hits back at Labour critics of mansion tax January 20, 2015 A ROW erupted in the Labour party yesterday over its key mansion tax proposal. The shadow chancellor Ed Balls insisted that “there’s a tried and tested way to do this. People will be able to get an independent evaluation, which HMRC will use….Of course it will work.” He was forced on to the defensive in [...]
General Election 2015: Ed Miliband promises review of HMRC after HSBC tax avoidance row February 14, 2015 Labour has set its sights on the tax inspector, promising a “root and branch” review of HMRC following criticism of the investigation it made into tax avoidance which came to light from the HSBC Swiss bank leaks. Miliband made the pledge speaking at the Welsh Labour Conference in Swansea as the issue of tax avoidance [...]
HSBC under pressure to lower bonuses following tax dodging inquiry February 21, 2015 Top executives at HSBC are being encouraged to waive their bonuses for the year, following allegations the bank abetted tax dodging clients. Shareholders, politicians and large sections of the media will place the bank’s bonuses under intense scrutiny when its annual reports are released on Monday. According to the Financial Times, shareholders [...]
Budget 2030: What will chancellors of the future have to grapple with? March 3, 2015 Red box at the ready: it’s two weeks until George Osborne delivers his final Budget of this Parliament. As it is happening only days after Nesta’s future-gazing London festival FutureFest (taking place on 14 and 15 March), we’ve been speculating as to what the Budget in 2030 might look like. Let’s take a look into [...]
Ex-HSBC boss Lord Green under fire over Swiss bank tax evasion row February 9, 2015 Ex-HSBC boss Lord Green was under intense pressure last night after revelations that HSBC’s Swiss private banking arm helped clients evade and avoid hundreds of millions of pounds of taxes. The bank said it now refuses to work with anyone it suspects of dodging taxes, but the focus has fallen on Green’s time as chief [...]
Lords leap on banker bashing bandwagon December 15, 2015 They say that nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come. But what of an idea whose time came, went and which was then resurrected in the name of good old fashioned banker bashing? That's where we now find ourselves with the so-called "reverse burden of proof" rule for senior bankers. It first [...]
Gibraltar and Guernsey hit back at Ed Miliband’s tax haven blacklist threat February 8, 2015 Labour leader Ed Miliband is under fire from Britain’s overseas territories, after he threatened to put them on a tax haven blacklist. The latest row comes after Miliband wrote to the territories, threatening that they will be listed as tax havens, and consequently incur sanctions, if they fail to compile a list of offshore companies [...]
Labour’s business woes: Industry leaders savage Ed Miliband’s attack on Boots boss February 3, 2015 Ed Miliband's decision to come out all guns blazing against Boots boss Stefano Pessina may have back-fired after a swathe of business leaders took to the media to condemn the Labour leader. Speaking yesterday at event for young voters, the Labour leader hit back at Pessina's claim that a Labour government would be a "catastrophe" [...]
Countdown to the General Election January 27, 2015 A guide to the key events taking place in the lead up to the crunch vote. FEB 12th February HALF-TERM The Commons and Lords get a final break before campaigning kicks off in earnest 27th February UKIP SPRING CONFERENCE Nigel Farage has decided to host his Spring Conference in Margate – practically next door to [...]