News

The UK base rate may be stuck at 0.1%, but there is interest rate movement elsewhere. The Bank of England has kept its base rate below 1% for over 12 years now. The rate first dropped to 0.5% on 5 … Continue reading →

We could see a jump in inflation soon. The pandemic has posed problems for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) when it comes to calculating the rate of inflation. For example: How do you measure the price of an item … Continue reading →

A new consultation paper has set out more details of an increase in the normal minimum retirement age. In February the Treasury and HMRC published a consultation paper on implementing an increase in the normal minimum pension age (NMPA) from … Continue reading →

The Budget announced a five-year freeze to the standard lifetime allowance. The standard lifetime allowance (SLA) is an important pensions number. It effectively sets the maximum tax efficient value of all your retirement benefits, in the absence of any legislative … Continue reading →

A quiet turning of the tax screw. Just before the Budget arrived on 3 March, it seemed as if the Chancellor would have nothing to say that was not already public knowledge. However, while some of the many leaks were … Continue reading →

Taking some time to start planning for 2021/22 now can be worthwhile. While there is often a focus on planning for the end of the tax year, much less attention is paid to the start of the tax year. The … Continue reading →

New data show how far UK dividends fell last year, but projections for 2021 suggest the declines are nearly over. In January 2021, Link Asset Services published its latest UK Dividend Monitor covering the final quarter of 2020 and the … Continue reading →

As the pandemic enters its second year, what have we learned? The World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020, coincidentally the day that Chancellor Rishi Sunak presented his first Budget. At the time, the Chancellor announced … Continue reading →

The average deposit paid by first-time homebuyers jumped by £10,000 in 2020. When the pandemic took hold in the first half of last year, it looked as if the housing market was headed for a fall, if not something more … Continue reading →

The world’s share markets had a rollercoaster ride in 2020. Index 2020 Change FTSE 100 -14.3% FTSE All-Share -12.5% Dow Jones Industrial +7.25% Standard & Poor’s 500 +16.3% Nikkei 225 +16.0% Euro Stoxx 50 (€) -5.1% Shanghai Composite +13.9% MSCI … Continue reading →

2020/21 is drawing to a close, with a Budget now slated for early March. Ahead of that, HMRC is easing some of its traditional deadlines in the light of the ongoing pandemic. If you’re struggling to prepare your self-assessment tax … Continue reading →

An independent body of tax experts has set out the framework for a one-off wealth tax. Will the Chancellor be tempted? “[W]e have a responsibility, once the economy recovers, to return to a sustainable fiscal position.” So said the Chancellor … Continue reading →