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Nuisance calls are up there with spam emails and junk mail as one of the scourges of modern life. Whether it’s an automated voice urging you to claim compensation for payment protection insurance or a message from an accident claims company, cold calls are insistent and incessant. If you’re sick of these unsolicited calls then you’re not
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It’s been a turbulent few days for the Tory Party following a bitter row over £4 billion of cuts to benefits for the disabled, announced in the Budget last Wednesday, and the resignation of the work and pensions secretary. Today Iain Duncan Smith’s replacement will tell the Commons that the proposed changes to disability benefits
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The devil is in the detail – as George Osborne is finding out to his cost. Following the Chancellor’s 2016 Budget, delivered to the House of Commons on Wednesday, companies, financial experts and journalists have been poring over the fine print. In a damning verdict, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that Britons should ‘all
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Was it good for you? George Osborne’s 2016 Budget, delivered to a packed House of Commons on Wednesday, has drawn criticism over a looming £55 billion black hole in public finances. But what does it mean for your money? We published a guide to the main changes yesterday. Today Spectator Money looks at reaction to a Budget
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George Osborne gave middle England plenty to smile about in yesterday’s Budget by cutting business rates, helping savers and taking 600,000 people out of higher rate tax. Today’s Money blog looks at the day after the night before while, in other financial news, Fidelity International has warned that the retirement income gap is not just a
From our UK edition
So, what did the Chancellor have up his sleeve? And how does it affect you and your money? Here is Spectator Money’s guide to the major changes. Income tax George Osborne stayed true to a Conservative pre-election pledge to increase the threshold for the higher rate of income tax. While reiterating that the goal is
From our UK edition
Fresh austerity measures, changes to income tax and the scrapping of a radical overhaul to the pensions system have dominated the headlines ahead of the 2016 Budget. But what money measures does the Chancellor have in store today? Here’s what to expect. Income tax One of the Conservatives’ pre-election pledges was an increase in the threshold for the higher rate
From our UK edition
Today’s the day. George Osborne will deliver the 2016 Budget amid fears of £4 billion in extra spending cuts, fuel duty rises, and an increase in insurance premium tax. Wednesday’s Spectator Money Blog is devoted to what to expect from the Chancellor, from a rowback on an overhaul of the pensions system to help for
From our UK edition
Ahead of tomorrow’s Budget, the financial pages are full of last ditch attempts by MPs, think tanks, businesses and pressure groups to persuade the Chancellor round to their way of thinking. On pensions, the Work and Pensions Select Committee has urged the government to consider giving some women early access to their state pension in return
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With just a couple of days left before the Budget, it came as no surprise to find the weekend press brimming with speculation about the Chancellor’s red box. While George Osborne did the rounds of the Sunday TV shows, news of proposed spending cuts dominated the headlines. The Observer devoted its front page to suggestions that
From our UK edition
Liverpudlians are enjoying that Friday feeling thanks to new research showing that their city tops the list of affordable property hotspots. According to Which? Mortgage Advisers, Liverpool has seen the average price of a home soar by 40 per cent in the past five years. But the good news is tempered by the fact that prices
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If you’re a customer of one of the ‘big six’ energy firms, then you’re probably paying too much for your gas and electricity. That’s the conclusion of an 18-month investigation by the competition authorities. In an eagerly awaited report by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), it has emerged that households and small businesses have
From our UK edition
As the country wakes up to a grey, drizzly morning, news from Moneyfacts paint a gloomy picture for savers. According to the financial analysts, low interest rates and changes to savings taxation are resulting in ‘perhaps the worst Isa season on record’. In the run-up to the end of the tax year, banks and building
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To celebrate International Women’s Day, studies have been released with mixed news for women and finance. Women and Debt, a report by the Debt Advisory Centre, found that 1 in 10 women has at least £10,000 of debt. On average, women now have £4,235 of unsecured credit, with the highest levels of debt among those under 45.
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Some have compared it to a farce worthy of Alan Ayckbourn, others have condemned it as a missed opportunity. Whatever your opinion, the Chancellor’s U-turn on pensions reform is a blow for low income workers and a boost for middle-class savers. Under proposals mooted by the government (and let’s not forget that they were no
From our UK edition
During a weekend when two stories dominated the financial news, the papers were awash with comment, opinion and analysis on pensions reform and Brexit. In a climbdown on a radical pensions shake-up which, er, had yet to happen, the Chancellor dropped a plan to scrap up-front tax relief on pension contributions after coming under pressure
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With a blanket of snow covering parts of Northern England this morning, gas and electricity bills are uppermost in many people’s minds. A new report by Which? says that millions of people are paying ‘way over the odds’ for their energy. According to the consumer group, only a tiny fraction of the cuts in energy
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In a past life I lived in a flat with a communal hallway. Among the post permanently littering the floor was the usual junk mail detritus: estate agent leaflets, double-glazing pamphlets and takeaway menus. In a development I don’t like to talk about at parties, I used to receive envelopes from the local takeaway addressed to ‘Pizza
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A slice of happiness for pizza fans today as Domino’s reveals a hike in its annual dividend by 21.3 per cent to 11.75p per share. Despite making an underlying operating loss of £1.3 million, the takeaway chain confirmed it had opened 61 new stores across the country in 2015. The company also reported an increased