From pensions taxes to the EU referendum to the Elizabeth Line: Here’s what got you reading this week
1. A pensions tax bombshell
Former pensions minister Steve Webb wrote on Sunday that George Osborne is preparing to drop a "tax bombshell" on pensions savers by scrapping the tax-free lump sum. Find out what the chancellor may have planned here.
2. The EU referendum
There was no escaping from it: wherever you looked, another politician was declaring their interests, while everyone from Joan Collins to Willie Walsh was telling the world how they felt. The news caused one of our old articles to re-emerge: back in 2014 we looked at how much the UK is paying to be part of the EU, compared to other countries. The results were fairly eyebrow-raising…
3. Crossrail is no more
This week Transport for London made the surprise announcement that Crossrail will be renamed as something altogether more regal. Find out more about that – and take a look at the map.
4. Lloyds Bank share sale: back on?
Lloyds Bank posted a rise in profits in 2015 – and said, crucially, that it will pay out a £1.6bn dividend to investors. That sent shares into the stratosphere. Could the sale of the government's stake – delayed by George Osborne last month – be back on?
5. Buy to let stamp duty hike to hit bank of mum and dad
If you're planning on helping your children buy a home, beware, warned a study this week: new rules on stamp duty could hit you.
Leisurely reads
The North Sea's oil industry is on the brink of destruction
North Sea pioneer Algy Cluff warns Morning Wire that investment in the sector could plummet if the government doesn't do something to help producers. Read more
Maps of the week
Mapped: How will your MP vote in the EU referendum?
Great reads from elsewhere
A vast cartel which fixes the price of a valuable liquid derived from natural matter is being destroyed by in-fighting among its members: yes, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers is in trouble, says Bloomberg.
Heavy metal might not have universal appeal, but it has become the unlikely soundtrack of globalisation. The Wall Street Journal charts its rise.
Have we broken economics? The Reformed Broker looks at how scarcity has become a thing of the past. "There is too much of everything and no demand for it. Abundance is wrecking the economy," he writes.
The last word
