There is an interesting lesson to be learned from a think tank’s pension criticism. Think tanks come in many different guises, some more independent than others. Those without political links – overt or covert – can often provide a valuable, spin-free insight into government policy. One of the best known in this category is the […]
During the non-news week before Christmas, there was a significant announcement on the Making Tax Digital (MTD) scheme for income tax. In recent months, you could be forgiven for thinking that the infrastructure of UK plc was falling apart. One element of the general malaise that received less publicity than it arguably deserved was an […]
Annual inflation in 2022 was 10.5%, but not all components rose by double digits. Annual inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), was 10.5% in 2022 against 5.4% in 2021. The official CPI calculator, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), says that the last time inflation was as high was in 1981. But […]
Recent research has compared the value of personal national insurance contributions (NICs) with the value of state pension received. The results may surprise you. NICs are not well understood, a fact exploited by Chancellors past and present. Many people mistakenly believe that NICs accumulate in a government fund to pay future benefits, in a […]
When it comes to student loans, the media focus is usually on tuition fees (outside Scotland), but there’s another loan that shouldn’t be overlooked – and that includes Scotland. In January 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) issued a press release headlined Cost of living boost for students. However, the ‘boost’ was more akin to […]
Identity theft happens when fraudsters access enough information about someone’s identity (such as their name, date of birth, current or previous addresses) to commit identity fraud. Identity theft can take place whether the fraud victim is alive or deceased. If you’re a victim of identity theft, it can lead to fraud that can have […]
