Jeremy Hunt: Upping employer NI would be an ‘absolute disaster’ for economy October 22, 2024 Increasing employer national insurance contributions in the Budget would be an “absolute disaster” for Britain economically, Jeremy Hunt has warned. “I’m really worried that Labour is going to trash an economy, which has better growth prospects than it has for many years,” the shadow Chancellor told the Financial Times in an interview. On the prospect [...]
UK economy receives hefty growth upgrade from IMF October 22, 2024 The international fiscal watchdog now expects the UK to grow 1.1 per cent in 2024, up from a previous forecast of 0.7 per cent.
Inheritance tax receipts hit record high ahead of expected Budget reforms October 22, 2024 The government raked in £4.3bn from inheritance tax in the six months to September, a nine per cent rise on the same period last year, as Rachel Reeves lines up reforms to the unpopular tax in her Budget next week. According to figures released by HMRC on Tuesday, the Exchequer received £736m from inheritance tax [...]
Autumn Budget: Which taxes will Rachel Reeves hike? October 22, 2024 With the Autumn Budget set to be delivered in just a few days, speculation about which taxes Chancellor Rachel Reeves will opt to raise has reached fever pitch. On entering No 11 Downing Street, Reeves commissioned the Treasury to conduct a thorough spending audit, which she claimed unearthed a “fiscal black hole” of £22bn, paving [...]
Borrowing figures show Reeves is in a fiscal bind ahead of Budget October 22, 2024 The latest figures showed that borrowing in September exceeded expectations yet again, driven by higher government spending.
Borrowing beats expectations as Rachel Reeves prepares tax rises October 22, 2024 The borrowing figures are merely the latest indication of the challenging fiscal position which the new government has inherited as the Budget approaches.
It’s hard work working out what ‘working people’ means October 22, 2024 Politicians do like to lump people together. In recent years we’ve had the squeezed middle, the just-about-managing, hard working families and (who could forget?) Nick Clegg’s “alarm clock Britain.” To this list of amorphous jargon we must now add “working people.” Labour figures have been leaning on the phrase for months, not least as part [...]
‘Incredible undervaluations’: Why this boss thinks the time is right to float on AIM October 22, 2024 A new acquisition vehicle announced plans to float on AIM last week despite a barrage of warnings over its future ahead of the budget. Its boss, Iain McDonald, tells Morning Wire why. In a letter to the City minister, Tulip Siddiq, last month, the boss of the London Stock Exchange had some stark words on [...]
A warning to Reeves: These tax rises will damage UK competitiveness October 22, 2024 Not only is the UK tax burden at record levels, but we are raising money in a more damaging way than our competitors. And the Budget could be about to make things even worse, says Daniel Herring Next week, Rachel Reeves needs to try not to make the UK’s tax system worse. Yesterday the US-based [...]
What are the biggest risks to pension saving in the Autumn Budget? October 22, 2024 Reeves faces difficult decisions at next week's Budget, but tampering risks creating more problems in the long-term, writes KPMG's Stephen Collins.