Labour and Conservatives would “significantly complicate” the pension contributions system, says IFS April 28, 2015 Both Labour and Conservative plans to change reform the system of pension contributions have come in for sharp criticism from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The independent think tank says the system has been rattled by instability over the last five years, which would continue whichever of the top two parties formed the next [...]
Labour’s mansion tax is “unnecessarily complicated” and imply £16,000 charge on properties over £3m, says IFS April 28, 2015 Both Labour and Conservative plans for the taxation of property have come under fire from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) with Labour's controversial mansion tax being described as "unnecessarily complicated." The IFS says there is host of problems with the way property is currently taxed, not least the structure of council tax. The independent [...]
General Election 2015: David Cameron dismisses Russell Brand as “a joke” ahead of Ed Miliband interview April 28, 2015 David Cameron has called comedian-turned-political activist Russell Brand “a joke” and said the public should ignore his stance on not voting. Speaking at an event in North London, Cameron said he "profoundly disagreed" with Brand. "He says don't vote, it only encourages them. That's funny, right, it's funny. But politics and life and elections and [...]
IFS: Number of higher rate taxpayers could swell to 5m under the Conservatives April 28, 2015 The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has concluded that under the major parties' plans for taxation and benefits, in the next parliament households can expect their incomes, on average, to fall. The independent think tank found there were major differences between the parties, with the Tories planning small net cuts to tax and much bigger cuts [...]
General Election 2015: Statistician Nate Silver predicts Conservatives as largest party but an “incredibly messy outcome” April 28, 2015 The man who successfully predicted 99 state results out of 100 in the last two Presidential elections, as well as a host of House and Senate races, has forecast that the Conservatives will be the largest party after the General Election. Nate Silver, who participated in a BBC Panorama programme, thinks the Tories will capture [...]
Happy #EdBallsDay: It’s the fourth anniversary of *that* tweet April 28, 2015 Update: Ed Balls has made everyone's Ed Balls Day the best yet. https://twitter.com/edballsmp/status/593072495395282944 Crack open the champagne and settle down for hours of social media lolz. It's Ed Balls Day again. Ed Balls It's the fourth anniversary of what has become one of the finest tweets the political world has ever seen. Back [...]
General Election 2015: Icap CEO Michael Spencer wants a balanced immigration policy and an end to wealth creator persecution April 27, 2015 ELECTION COUNTDOWN: 9 DAYS TO GO Every day until the final week of the election campaign, we ask a business leader to say what policies would entice them to vote for a particular party. MICHAEL SPENCER: CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ICAP ■ Focus on the Economy Since 2010 the UK economy has done much better than [...]
Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Developments and Persimmon share prices dip as fears about Labour rent control plans take hold April 27, 2015 Housing experts warned that Labour plans to bring in rent controls could lead to investors pulling out of the rental market. The Association of Rental Letting Agents (ARLA) said yesterday that three-quarters of its members feared the plans would “see landlords exit the market and reduce supply”. Such fears led to an immediate [...]
Rent control plans: Breaking down Labour’s latest housing proposals April 27, 2015 Q What is Labour proposing for tenants and landlords? A Labour leader Ed Miliband says his government would cap rents so they could not rise by more than the consumer price index (CPI) during secure, three-year tenancies. Q Would all tenancies change to three years under the Labour proposal? A Labour says that from [...]
Labour’s manifesto marked its final retreat in the fiscal stimulus debate April 27, 2015 Which school of economic thought has been vindicated by the macro-economic performance of the UK over the past five years? Given that economists, historians and politicians are still busy analysing the events of the 1930s and the Keynes-Hayek debate of that period, we are unlikely to get a consensus any time soon. But while Keynesians [...]