Behind the numbers on income tax
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
The reality of retirement affordability
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
Who is choosing your pension investments?
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
What’s next? Looking ahead to new tax policy
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
A banking crisis close to home?
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

