In the lead up to the budget announcement, George Osborne seemed to bow to the pressure David Cameron and other members of the Conservative Party were putting on him to soften his approach when it comes to pensions and tax relief.
It was famously said that âall roads lead to Rome.â In British politics, all speeches currently lead to the EU Referendum. George Osborneâs Budget speech, delivered on Wednesday March 16th, was no exception.
Previewing the 2015 Budget almost exactly twelve months ago, we wrote:
What now for the Chancellor as he starts to prepare for the Budget on March 18th?
On the one hand, the UK is growing faster and recovering better than any other major economy. On the other, there are worrying clouds on the horizon. The victory of the left-wing, anti-austerity party, Syriza, in the Greek elections has created more confusion in European economies already threatened by deflation and about to embark on a massive quantitative easing programme. Some of the latest data coming out of the US is not encouragingâŚ
Whilst the cold weather and long nights might make the beginning of April seem a long way off, the final few months of the financial year always seem to fly by. Itâs therefore a good idea to start thinking about the most important things to do before 5th April arrives and the tax year ends. To get you started, have a look through our top four tips for what to do to ensure you are making the most of your investment opportunities whilst you can.
The 46th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum took place from 19th January for four days in Davos, Switzerland. The main agenda was entitled âMastering The Fourth Industrial Revolutionâ, with many of the delegates discussing the impact of rapid technological shift on many industries. The mood was uncertain â some might even say gloomy â with Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, stating that âas a society, we are entering uncharted territory.â
George Osborne announced last year that the tax system as we currently know it will be phased out by 2020, after the Treasury described the system of tax returns as âcomplex, costly and time-consuming.â In its place, a new digital system will be rolled out by the government which purports to be easier to use and manage for both individuals and businesses.