I’d like to say I know what’s going on in the country, but I don’t. I’d like to say I feel secure, but I don’t. I’d like to say I’m feeling positive but I’m not! The remarkable events of the last week have turned everything topsy turvy and the lunatics appear to be running amok […]
finance
The Way The Global Tax Regime Works
Google boss Eric Schmidt defended the way his company and others have paid so little tax on such very substantial profits by stating: All of us are operating in a very, very longstanding tax regime which was set up for various reasons that don’t necessarily make sense to me or anyone else. But they are […]
Burger Me…It’s A Horse!
There can’t be many people who turn their nose up at the offer of a nice juicy burger. For some families they are a part of their regular diet. Even at last years’s Olympic Games – that temple of human perfection – one of the main sponsors was Mc D’s who, despite all the talk […]
Comment on Announcement Of HS2
Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, comments on the government announcement of the proposed HS2 high speed rail link to the north: “It is extremely disappointing that the Government is pressing ahead with plans for a new high speed rail line that will cost taxpayers a fortune. The economic case for the new line […]
Moral Multi-Nationals, Politicians and Tax
When politicians use the word ‘moral’, the hairs on the back of my neck start tingling and I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. And so it was when Margaret Hodge MP told executives from Starbucks, Amazon and Google: There is a growing anger among ordinary people who pay their taxes […]
When a Good Idea Takes Its Toll
The trouble with having a good idea is that sometimes you don’t discover the consequences of its ‘goodness’ until much later on. A prime example of the above is giving the drivers of lower emission cars the benefit of paying either little, or no, road tax as an incentive for running a more environmentally friendly […]
Will The Olympic Flame’s Warmth Fade?
After seven years of planning, and 16 days of competition, the main Olympic flame has finally faded in London. While for now, we bathe in the warmth of it’s memory, the future might not be so warm. We started the Games by giving the world a bizarre history lesson of our country and we ended […]
Parliament, Tired MPs And A Four Day Week
Hands up all those who haven’t yet realised we, as a country, are in the greatest financial mess we have experienced for decades. Hands up all those who haven’t been slightly rankled by politicians preaching we all need to pull together in our ‘Big Society’ and work longer hours for less money. Hands up all […]
Chancellor Suspends Fuel Tax Rise But…
The chancellor’s announcement, that he is suspending his planned 3p-per-litre fuel tax increase was a welcome U-turn along his road to austerity. Despite the reduced forecourt prices of the last few weeks, its implementation would still have had a huge impact on both businesses and individuals alike. Chancellor Osborne has stated publicly he has done […]
Is Cameron Trying To Benefit From Benefits?
I really didn’t want to like what prime minister David Cameron said yesterday about the need for benefit reforms but the more I read, the more I was surprised to find myself agreeing with some of his reasoning. Normally when a member of this government starts talking ‘benefits’, it is to paint a bleak picture […]