Tesla tax? We need a road pricing scheme for a modern congestion-free future November 18, 2022 Given the plethora of misery that accompanied yesterday’s Autumn Statement, it might have been possible to overlook a significant measures namely that electric vehicles will no longer be exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty from April 2025. This is a glimmer of good news. It reveals something deeply encouraging as half of new vehicles will be [...]
We will all feel the squeeze, but squeeze too hard and tax receipts will dry up November 18, 2022 Doom and gloom was the name of the game in the run-up to the Autumn Statement. Yet the measures delivered by the chancellor ended up being more positive for hospitality businesses than many had feared. It was a pragmatic response to a turbulent economic market. Crucially, it delivered stability. The one important part missing, however, [...]
Letters: Tech giants need to be flexible November 18, 2022 [Re: Elon Musk fends off daily losses with jobs and ticks, Nov 6] The latest series of lay-offs from Big Tech companies and Twitter show that the tech bubble is bursting. Many more businesses may follow suit. The pandemic called for companies to hire tech talent in swathes as they raced to adapt. That digital [...]
Explainer-in-brief: A housing crisis claiming lives November 17, 2022 The revelation that the death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 was caused by extensive mould in his family house has rocked a nation locked in a permanent housing crisis. Giving a statement about this tragedy in Parliament yesterday, Secretary of State for Levelling up Michael Gove said that “every single person in this country, [...]
There’s no sugar for spending cuts, but we must avoid the salami slicer November 17, 2022 Later today, the UK’s chief financial officer, Jeremy Hunt, will share his plans to balance the books and keep the UK solvent or, at least, investable. Managers everywhere will find this relatable. Most of us have needed to reduce costs, whilst keeping the show on the road, during recent years of pandemic, followed by this [...]
Let’s be honest, we can’t blame today’s financial pain on Liz Truss’s mini budget November 17, 2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement is expected to contain a gloomy mixture of tax hikes and spending cuts. We will be told this is absolutely necessary to plug the fiscal hole left by the Truss government. The latest estimate is that the government is looking for up to £60bn a year by 2027-28. Last weekend [...]
London pays its way in the economy, Treasury needs to remember to pay us back November 17, 2022 After three prime ministers in as many months, it’s been hard to keep up with the government’s positions. Fracking, triple lock pensions, levelling up – out, in and out again – like a kind of policy hokey cokey. Today, at least, we will get some clarity on the fiscal plan of the new government, after [...]
Letters: Running away from the banks November 17, 2022 [Re: Computer says no: Frustrated businesses screaming for fresh cash struggle to get bank loans, Nov 15] As the cost-of-living crisis rumbles on, the computer says no attitude of the traditional banking system is causing huge issues for SMEs who need access to finance to survive and grow. When the going gets tough and businesses [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Rishi Sunak’s Great Wall of China November 16, 2022 Sunak is likely to pay more attention to the potential economic and trade benefits of a working relationship with China.
Appease the markets and his own party? Jeremy Hunt has a frightful task November 16, 2022 Tomorrow, Jeremy Hunt needs to deliver a plan that both wins the confidence of the city – and the financial markets – and is politically palatable. This comes off the back of a narrative which has converged around terms like “black holes” and “difficult decisions”. The emerging theme is that there is a gap in [...]