The 2018 Budget – delivered on a Monday for the first time since 1962 – produced a number of surprises, not least some high-profile ‘giveaways’. Announcements in the Budget included: A £650 increase in the personal allowance to £12,500 for 2019/20, the level originally pencilled in for 2020/21. A £3,650 increase in the higher rate […]
Two recent events have shone different lights on the government’s view of unmarried couples. As the graph shows, marriage has been drifting out of fashion for close to 50 years. There are now over 3.3 million unmarried couples in the UK, of which nearly half have children. In spite of this major social change, […]
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is charged on the profit or gain made when you dispose of an asset. You won’t pay CGT on the sale of your principal private residence, stocks and shares held within an ISA, proceeds from life insurance policies, or the sale of a private car. However, assets such as shares, collective […]
Whilst businesses are generally quick to insure themselves against the most commonly encountered operational risks, it’s often the case that owners, directors and shareholders can overlook the need to protect what’s arguably their biggest and most precious asset – themselves, their management team and their workforce. In today’s fast-paced business environment, it can be hard […]
A leading think tank has proposed a radical shake up of the UK tax system. At the end of September, the US bank, Goldman Sachs, launched a new online easy-access savings account in the UK under the name of Marcus. It has offered a similar account in its home territory since 2016, gaining over 1.5 […]
A 2.6% rise in the single tier state pension was announced in the 2018 Budget. The increase to the single tier state pension, and its predecessor the basic state pension, will apply from next April. Other state pensions, such as the State Earnings Related Pensions Scheme (SERPS), will rise by 2.4%. The higher increases for […]
