In 1975, the Chancellor’s Budget dared to go where no successor has dared since.
HMRC suffers from too much interest
As had often been noted over the last few years, one of the strategies adopted by successive governments to increase tax revenue is the freezing of tax allowances and bands.
‘Yippy’ days in the markets – a new way of measuring the jitters
A new word was added to investors’ vocabulary in April. “Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know, they were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid.” So said President Trump seven days after his Rose Garden Liberation Day presentation of unexpectedly high tariffs on US imports.
Unloved LISA?
The Lifetime ISA (LISA) is arguably a good example of brand overstretch. When ISAs were first launched in 1999, there were only two varieties, and they replaced two existing tax-favoured savings plans – PEPs (personal equity plans) and TESSAs (tax exempt special savings accounts).
Will your next company car be a plug-in hybrid?
In recent years, the tax rules for company cars have provided a major incentive to choose a battery electric vehicle (BEV), with zero CO2 emissions, or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with CO2 emissions of 1-50g/km.
Pensions and inheritance tax
The government is showing no signs of changing its plans to levy inheritance tax (IHT) on pensions.
We are all mortal…
The Office for National Statistics has taken a fresh look at our mortality.
Spring Statement: the magic of £9.9 billion
There were no tax increases in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement (upgraded from an initial Spring Forecast), but that might just be pain deferred.
The Cost of Tax
HMRC may not have as many friends as it claims to have ‘customers’, but is it value for money?
What if? The gift of being organised
It’s been five years since the pandemic turned the world upside down. The experience provided lessons in many aspects of life, not least its potential fragility. During the lockdowns, many people became suddenly aware that they had no will or, if they did, it was woefully out of date.