Happy New Year for farmers
A Happy New Year. I hope that your celebrations of all Christmas really means was good and joyful and that you have seen-in the New Year with relish! Already the days are opening-out and spring, albeit very cold, is daring to peek through the wintry gloom.
What a nice Christmas present for ‘farmers’ with the...
Happy Christmas one and all
A very Happy Christmas to one and all! Hopefully you and your families had a lovely day yesterday? Let’s also trust for a settled, positive 2026 with resolution to long-outstanding issues like the Russian aggression against Ukraine and some dynamic and long-term solutions for Israel and the Palestinians.
We have had some good economic news...
Toothless Budget lacked real drive
For readers here, the biggest pieces of good news were what she didn’t do, such as attacking pension tax-free lump sums or tax relief on contributions, no lifetime Inheritance Tax on gifts or changes to present allowances and no changes to CGT. We did our best to discourage people from taking their cash from...
Budget ‘black hole’ is filling with rumour if nothing else…
This Wednesday, (November 26) the Chancellor will unveil her much-anticipated Autumn Budget and reveal her latest plans for filling the alleged ‘£20 billion black hole’ in the public finances. Or is it £30bn?
So what will be in Rachel Reeve’s Budget and how might it affect you? That is certainly the £20billion question because, as...
Stamp duty shenanigans dent confidence
Interesting times with politics and Stamp Duty shenanigans. They all affect investor sentiment too and confidence and upsets are not helpful. I do feel slightly sorry for Angela Rayner on this one in that one relies upon those completing the process to know what Stamp Duty to pay but of course if they were...
Savings, tax and stocks to hold?
Last week we were greeted with even higher inflation figures, apparently fuelled by higher aviation costs though primarily the problem remains reaction to the Government’s increases in Minimum Wage, National Insurance and other business costs and taxes. Curiously, at the same time the cost of oil and gas has been very weak but not...
Our 40th and great numbers
The UK Economy grew by 0.3% in the first quarter – which is good news though some of it is clawing-back losses from before. However, the underlying trend shows very little improvement and as noted last time, the general employment situation is worsening.
In a nutshell (and stating the obvious), the more unemployed and the...
Raising tax without result
It seems this Government is being the most successful at raising the rates of tax yet collecting less cash as a result – and doing untold harm to the economy as well as consumer and business confidence the same time. No, this isn’t political comment; it’s simply financially factual.
Whatever one’s politics and no, it’s...
Growth, debt and the Titanic…
I was reminded recently that on 14 April it was the anniversary of the Titanic hitting the iceberg, in 1912. Had it hit it head-on, it would not have sunk. Are there analogies here for President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements…?
This is either the fact that 90% of the problem isn’t obvious or maybe that...