Content
Leading article...
We can't go on like this...
General tax...
The name is Bond
Blessed are the givers
Excuses, excuses
PAYE the penalty
Silver and gold
Moving goalposts
Doctor, doctor...
Something phishy
Pension problems
Tax dot com
Unpleasant discoveries
Fair's fair (at last)
Chartered taxpayers
This year, next year
VAT...
Focus your mind
Flat rates aren't flat
Reverse the charges
Flapjack flash
Ready set ECSL
A lofty idea
Law items...
I want my lawyer
Not on my holiday
A grey area
No difference
| The Conservatives' billboard campaign for the General Election promises to "cut the deficit, not the NHS". The details of how this will be done have not yet been spelled out: Mr Osborne says that he would like a look at the books before he can be sure what needs to be done. On the other hand, Mr Darling's Pre-Budget Report in December set out how he proposes to bring public borrowing down if Labour is re-elected. There are painful tax increases ahead, but even so the deficit will take years to correct. It seems likely that there will be even more cuts to public spending as the economy struggles out of recession. The Conservatives' slogan - "we can't go on like this" - suggests they want to put the country's finances straight sooner, but if they want to reduce the deficit faster they surely cannot follow their tax-cutting instincts. Mr Darling will confirm his plans in more detail in the Spring Budget, and no doubt Mr Osborne will give us more details as the general election approaches. While they argue it out, the rest of us will have to cope with the rules they produce. This newsletter highlights some things that you might consider now to pay less tax, or to keep clear of the traps and pitfalls of Britain's increasingly complicated tax system. The Government may be about to change, but we will still be here to advise you. |
© Bayar Hughes & Co., 2010.