News

The Chancellor has announced that he will issue an Autumn Statement on 22 November. Perhaps it was just coincidence, but a year to the day after Liz Truss was elected Prime Minister, the current Chancellor (and her second) announced that … Continue reading →

A new think tank report highlights the need to increase pension contributions. Over time, good ideas start to age. Take, for example, automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, which is now eleven years old. In some respects, it has been highly … Continue reading →

“Get a will and keep it up to date” is advice that often appears in the personal finance pages and elsewhere. A recent lapse in concentration from the Ministry of Justice illustrates how important that advice can be. The lapse … Continue reading →

Capital gains tax raised £16.7 billion in 2021/22, according to HMRC – a 15% increase over the previous year. But what lies behind these statistics? Source: HMRC In early August media outlets reported that the government had raised a record … Continue reading →

As interest rates continue to rise, we need to consider why. Source: Bank of England, National Statistics Cast your mind back to July 2020. Covid-19 was creating massive social and economic disruption, reflected in a Bank of England interest rate … Continue reading →

Is Downing Street really planning to abolish inheritance tax? Source: HMRC Shortly before the so-called ‘silly season’ (Parliament’s summer recess) got underway, several newspapers carried stories that Downing Street was considering the abolition of inheritance tax (IHT) in an attempt … Continue reading →

You do not have to take your state pension at state pension age. The current state pension age (SPA) – the earliest age at which you can draw your state pension – is 66. It will be gradually increased to … Continue reading →

New income tax statistics from HMRC appear to be good news, but the numbers are not what they seem. Taxpayer’s marginal rate Basic Rate Higher Rate Additional Rate 2020/21 Average tax rate 9.5% 21.8% 38.3% 2023/24 Average tax rate 9.9% … Continue reading →

New research reveals that one in three people could face hardship in retirement. Source: Frontier Economics based on Scottish Widows survey data The “cost of living crisis” is a phrase that is hard to avoid in any media. High inflation, … Continue reading →

The Chancellor has announced a new initiative to stimulate higher risk pension investment, shifting focus to UK private companies. “British pensioners should benefit from British business success. By unlocking investment, we will boost retirement income by over £1,000 a year … Continue reading →

With a general election less than 18 months away, thoughts are turning towards the potential policies of a new occupant of 11 Downing Street. With most opinion polls showing a lead for the Labour Party of around 20%, what the … Continue reading →

Rising mortgage rates are posing some difficult questions for one of the major providers of housing finance. You would think that a group estimated to have provided £8.8 billion of residential property finance to 170,000 first-time buyers in 2022 would … Continue reading →

A parliamentary committee has been examining efforts to simplify tax, but progress is still a long way off. Among other things, last year’s ill-fated ‘mini-Budget’ was notable for the swiftness with which Jeremy Hunt reversed most of the proposals it … Continue reading →