The third quarter of 2020 saw share markets calmer than in the previous two. For many, 2020 has not been a year they will want to remember. For investors, the first two quarters were a whiplash experience. For about a month from mid-February, Covid-19 pushed share markets down with a brutal abruptness. By the time […]
After heavy hinting from the Treasury for some weeks, the expected Autumn Budget has been pushed into spring 2021. Since the March Budget and through to August, the expectation was that the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, would introduce his second Budget this autumn. Such timing would have restored the cycle of a Spring Statement followed by […]
The government has acted to ensure state pension increases can happen next April. The Basic State Pension (BSP) and the New State Pension (NSP) – for anyone who reached State Pension Age after 5 April 2016 – are both subject to the ‘Triple Lock’ measure. This means that every April these two pensions increase […]
National Savings rate to drop sharply from 24 November. At times, National Savings & Investments (NS&I) looks like a relic. Its role in raising money for the government has seemed an increasing anachronism for three main reasons: The amount NS&I raises each year is but a small part of the government’s total borrowing. For 2020/21, […]
Students starting university this year are being warned by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that they could be targeted by a fresh wave of tax scams. As new students start the academic year, they can be particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. With universities taking a blended approach to online and face-to-face tuition this year, and an […]
HMRC has published some interesting research into capital gains tax (CGT). Here are three CGT questions for you to ponder: 1. How many individuals made enough capital gains in 2018/19 to face a CGT bill? The answer is just 256,000, according to the latest provisional figures from HMRC – 9,000 fewer than in the previous […]
