Original Broadcast: This is Money
With all the shenanigans in Westminster last week you could be forgiven for failing to register we had a Spring Statement at all – let alone clocked its finer points. Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost fill you in on what you may have missed. It includes forecasts from the Office for Budgetary Responsibility on the UK economy, along with income growth, interest rates, the pound and house prices. We also have the true scale of the tax burden on families and businesses, with the overall tax take equivalent to 34.6% of Britain's economy, a level not seen since Harold Wilson was Prime Minister. Income tax receipts will rise nearly £54billion in the next five years, with steep rises forecast for National Insurance, VAT and Corporation Tax. A hike in probate 'fees' was waved through without a vote or debate in parliament by classifying it as a fee not a tax – but the ONS is now calling it a tax. The OBR also reveals that two flagship savings schemes have not been anywhere near as popular as planned, while boilers are out – as are feed-in tariffs from solar panels.
Guests: Lee Boyce,Simon Lambert
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
Inheritance tax is a conundrum. Just 5 per cent of estates currently incur it but it’s been voted Britain’s most unfair major tax. Even with the number of people hit by it expected to double, it seems we just don’t like the concept. It’s no wonder then that the Chancellor commissioned a report into it from the Office of Tax Simplification, but no one forecast that to be as damning about the system as it was. It’s complicated, more than ten times as many bereaved families have to fill in forms as pay it, and it turns out the very rich pay proportionally less than those directly below them. Does that make inheritance tax ripe for a change and how could it be adjusted? Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss that on this week’s podcast. Also, on the show they discuss why tenants are still waiting for a fees ban, whether the latest move to curb private parking tickets goes far enough and the least reliable cars you can buy second hand. And finally, we’ve all heard the one about how airlines might use your browsing history to hike flight costs, but have you heard about error fares that can get you somewhere for a fraction of the normal price? And more to the point are both these true. We bust five flight booking myths.
Guests: Simon Lambert
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
Good news. Chances are you just got a tax cut. Well an income tax cut at least, problem is your council tax is likely to be rising and if you are an investor the Government is after more of your dividends, or if you’re a landlord it wants your rental income. So who are the winners and losers of the new tax year that rolled round on 6 April? And what are the candidates for dumbest bits of Britain’s tax code. In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and George Frost take a look at who is getting the biggest tax cut and who is being hit.
Guests: Simon Lambert,Rachel Rickard-Straus
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
The Chancellor asked for ideas for inheritance tax to be simplified this week, but should we even have a death tax at all? On this week’s podcast Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at how it works, why it is unpopular, and how you can avoid it. Simon suggests his plan to simplify it and get more people paying by removing those fiddly reliefs and slashing the rate to 20%. But we also consider the argument for taxing inheritance (and unearned property wealth) more heavily. Later on the podcast, we discuss the problem of interest-only timebomb mortgages and whether homeowners are burying their heads in the sand. Also on the agenda is what’s wrong with M&S and investing in emerging markets and why they could still be a good long-term bet, even after funds rose almost 30% last year.
Guests: Simon Lambert,Lee Boyce
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Welcome to the This is Money Show on Share Radio, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. After its controversial announcement last week Philip Hammond has finally had to U-turn on national insurance hikes in an attempt to win back public trust. Whilst the Budget provoked considerable backlash less publicised has been changes in road tax coming in April which will see some drivers paying as much as seven times more. Meanwhile across the pond the US Fed has raised interest rates with attention now turning to what the Bank of England will do next. Speculating on where all this leaves our finances Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus. Plus is a castle, a Star Wars themed cinema and beer Fridays really what it takes to be named Britain’s best boss? This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.
Guests: Simon Lambert,Rachel Rickard-Straus
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Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio Podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. Dominating the financial headlines this week has been Chancellor Philip Hammond's final Spring Budget. Described by some as a tax raid on the self-employed and small businesses the announcements of hikes in national insurance and dividend tax have come as a surprise to many given previous Conservative election pledges. There has been some good offerings though with a multi-million pound fund put aside for 'disruptive' technologies from robots to driverless cars. Unpicking all the announcements Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce. Plus how tax rises are also being extended to council tax and insurance premiums. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.
Guests: Simon Lambert,Lee Boyce
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Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio Podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. We’ve had a few stats to digest this week with inflation continuing to rise, now up 1.8%, whilst employment remains at record highs according to the ONS. Behind the figures though we’re hearing much of this is based on freelance and zero-hours work with both salaries and interest rates failing to keep pace with the cost of living. With all this spelling disaster for savers there’s been a few interesting additions to Money Mail’s Best Buy table this week. Joining Georgie Frost to go through the options is Editor Simon Lambert and Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus. Plus, we take a look at the new rate hikes threatening the future of small businesses and the costs of bereavement.
Guests: Simon Lambert,Rachel Rickard-Straus
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Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. It’s the start of a new era as Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Meanwhile across the pond Theresa May swore out of Europe spelling out her 12 point plan for leaving. What of the impact on the pound in your pocket though? It’s rapidly devaluing on the back of uncertainty whilst rising inflation threatens to strip its spending power further, especially if saved in one of Britain’s worst accounts. To add to the misery there’s also a warning from Mark Carney we may be storing up problems overspending and racking up debt. To make sense of all these financial woes current and future Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus. They also discuss how to solve some of the biggest money rip-offs and financial wrongs whilst Simon takes on a new road tax which could see a small hatchback being charged the same as a 5.0 litre Mustang. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.
Guests: Simon Lambert,Rachel Rickard-Straus
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Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. This week we ask just how high the FTSE could go in 2017. With the New Year bull run still in full swing is now the time to invest or could the current record be too good to be true? Meanwhile the FTSE might be rising but the pound continues to slump to its lowest levels since the 2008 crisis. Good news for exporters at least whilst even Mark Carney’s admitting Brexit won’t be quite as bad for the country. So just where does all this leave the devaluing pound in your pocket? To find out Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus. Also on this week’s agenda they look at the latest retail figures, Halifax’s statistics on first time buyers and the new powers allowing the tax man to spy on your online activity. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.
Guests: Simon Lambert,Rachel Rickard-Straus
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Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. After a year of doom and gloom stories this week we’re looking at the positives. Despite the Michael Fish style forecasting of the post-Brexit economy the FTSE is surging to unprecedented levels, could this be the time to start investing? For those less keen on the cut and thrust of the stock market a glimmer of hope for savings rates does seem to be on the horizon in 2017 as we look through some of the accounts paying up to 5%. Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert who gives his wish list of headlines for the next year whilst Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce takes centre stage on everything coin related. But just how well will their financial knowledge stack up in our Podcast Quiz of the Year? This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.
Guests: Simon Lambert
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