The TV election – that wasn't
At the height of Cleggmania, a senior TV executive said to me with a smile: "You know, newspapers can write reams and reams, but it is television that is having a real impact on this campaign." I...
View ArticleHIP, HIP, keep going…
Now the coalition government has confirmed it will scrap home information packs (HIPs) it must go further to cut red tape in the housing market. HIPs were as much use to homebuyers and sellers as a...
View ArticleWho cares as baby boomers become 'silver shufflers'?
Who cares about the old and infirm? More to the point, who will fill the £6bn deficit in long term care funding forecast to open up over the next decade as an additional 1.7m older people become unable...
View ArticleDo you feel Taxed Enough Already? Why is there no Tea Party in Britain?
Many people would like to pay less tax and enjoy more freedom to choose how they spend what they earn. So, even if you – like me – have little or no interest in politics, the midterm elections in...
View ArticleNew tax rules will hit squeezed middle till pips squeak
About 175,000 people earning £40,000 a year will see their marginal rate of tax more than double from 30 per cent to 70 per cent from April 6 because of complex changes to the tax system, according to...
View ArticlePoverty traps mean poor parents and pensioners pay higher tax rates than...
Complex calculations that show millions of families will lose more than £500 a year under changes to tax rules that come into force tomorrow demonstrate the dangers of the maze of means-tested benefits...
View ArticleChancellor must change tack or risk the wrath of pensioners
Next month’s Autumn Statement could cause the Government to lose the next general election or incur a massive compensation bill unless the Chancellor changes his current policy on pensions. Regular...
View ArticleChild Benefit changes mean parents will pay higher tax rates than millionaires
Leading accountants calculate that parents will suffer higher marginal rates of tax than millionaires – paying as much as 73p in the pound – if the Government persists with plans to clawback Child...
View ArticleChild Benefit: a tax sting in the tail and bad timing for the Coalition...
Boris Johnson boldly set out the case for ending universal entitlement to Child Benefit yesterday. But accountants question whether the Coalition Government knows what it is doing or how the timing...
View ArticleEd Miliband has the potential to be a great prime minister
In a short time, I shall be leaving the country for at least two years (stop cheering). When I return, Ed Miliband will be the prime minister. Whether this constitutes an achievement for a Labour...
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