Back to Square One

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that the economy is finally breaking new ground. The graph appears to say it all. Adjusted for inflation, the UK economy has at last outgrown the peak established in … Continue reading

Good for Holidays, Less So for Investments

The strength of the pound is showing up in welcome and unwelcome ways. If you were heading off to Europe a year ago on holiday, you would have been offered, as a tourist, an exchange rate of around €1.115 for … Continue reading

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) take aim at the users of nearly 1,200 tax avoidance schemes

HMRC have published a list of tax avoidance schemes for which it wants up-front tax payments. Two days before the Finance Bill became the Finance Act, the obviously eager HMRC issued a list of nearly 1,200 tax avoidance schemes. Frustratingly … Continue reading

Next year’s pension reforms

The Government has set out further thoughts on what pensions will look like from next April. The Chancellor’s Budget bombshell of pension reform was accompanied by a consultation document setting out his broad proposals for industry comment. The consultation period … Continue reading

A strange exercise in democracy

The Finance Bill received Royal Assent on 17 July and with it the first part of the pensions reform became law. The passage of each year’s Finance Bill through parliament is normally a protracted process. This year’s Bill was introduced … Continue reading