February saw a dramatic return of volatility to global stock markets. On Friday 2 February, after most of the world’s share markets had finished for the week, the Dow Jones Index dropped by 666 points in a day. Never mind … Continue reading →

HMRC has published its annual assessment of the cost of tax reliefs. Every January HMRC publishes a table of ‘Estimated costs of principal tax reliefs’. Any Chancellor facing a budget deficit is bound to run his eyes down the list … Continue reading →

On 13 March, the Chancellor will present a Spring Statement to the House of Commons, not a Budget. The next Budget should be in the autumn, probably November. The rationale for the revised schedule is to give more time to … Continue reading →

Investors and their advisers should start to turn their focus to the end of the tax year on 5 April. ISA contributions have historically always been focused on the end of the tax year. This is the case even though … Continue reading →

This is the time of year to review your pension contributions. February and March are rightly popular times for reviewing and making pension contributions. By this stage you should have a good idea of what your income for the tax … Continue reading →