If you are a high earner and feel you are paying more and more tax, you are not alone. Increasing the tax burden for higher earners has been a deliberate policy of successive governments. Higher and additional rate taxpayers now pay about two thirds of all income tax. More than one in seven income tax […]
As 2021 drew to a close, inflation finally forced the Bank of England’s hand. What will higher rates mean for you? The November inflation figures, released in mid-December, once again exceeded the Bank of England’s (BoE) expectations. At the start of November, the BoE had said that CPI inflation was “expected to peak at around […]
The world’s share markets generally produced solid returns in 2021, but UK stocks and fixed-interest investments suffered. Maintaining an international outlook in your portfolio can help underpin its value. 2021 was a good year for most investors in share-based funds, particularly those who had holdings linked to the US market. Despite the optimism […]
The future of two important personal taxes – inheritance and capital gains – has finally been clarified, simplifying aspects of year-end planning. The extended wait highlights the difficulty of changing useful revenue-raising measures in uncertain times. Four years ago, in January 2018, when there seemed to be both appetite and scope for reformation of […]
With Christmas and New Year behind us, tax year-end planning should now be on your radar. The 2021/22 tax year will end on Tuesday 5 April. This year there is no Spring Budget and Easter arrives on 15 April, so no obstacles stand in the way of year-end tax planning. Nevertheless, the sooner you start […]
A new support package has been announced to assist businesses impacted by the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Applications are open to the end of February, but many have said the measures don’t go far enough given the extensive losses suffered in the hospitality and leisure sectors over the festive period. Although no businesses were legally required […]
