Worrying statistics for the retirement gap
A significant minority of people are heading for a retirement which is going to be very tricky to fund. They have neither a private nor a workplace pension. A new study by Aegon, the Readiness Report, found that as many as one in seven people aged between 55 and 65 face going into old age […]
After The election
And after the election… There is unfinished business for the new government to deal with. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. However, when it comes to general elections, there is plenty of history to suggest that tax increases are more likely in the first Budget to occur after the polls have […]
The Future of Income Tax
The electoral politics of income tax The 2017 election manifestos offered little good news on the future of income tax. Judging by the manifestos of the three main political parties, the days of appealing to voters by cutting income tax (and its alter ego, national insurance) are over: The Conservatives repeated their 2015 manifesto promise […]
Working from home, a way of life
Working from home – a win-win (if properly managed) For some people, working from home has become a way of life. Whether it’s full time or part time, it’s on the increase. There are many advantages to working from home for both the employer and the employee. However, teleworking policies are often on an ad […]
Tackling the gender pay gap
As new reporting requirements come into effect, a charity for women aged 16-30 on low or no pay, Young Women’s Trust, has called for further action to reduce the gender pay gap. The charity is concerned that pay transparency, which is intended to encourage employers to reduce the gender pay gap, will not be effective […]
Small businesses struggle to stay afloat
Almost one in five of the UK’s SMEs are missing payday in an attempt to keep their heads above water and many business owners are dipping into their own savings to survive, according to a recent survey. The survey was commissioned by the business arm of the utility company npower. It found that against an […]
Another notch up in State Pension Age
An independent review has recommended bringing forward the move to a state pension age of 68. There was a time when men received their state pension from age 65 and women from age 60. Those numbers may still be locked in your memory, but they are heading towards their own retirement. Currently a woman’s state […]
Time to review your salary sacrifice arrangements?
New rules for taxing many salary sacrifice arrangements come into force from 6 April. One of the employment trends of recent years has been to make employee remuneration more flexible. Instead of pay and, if you were lucky, a company car and healthcare, ‘cafeteria remuneration’ has become common. This gives employees the choice of sacrificing […]
Will you be working past the accepted retirement age?
Many people do, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). In fact, more than a third (37%) of respondents out of a total of 1,656 employees surveyed believe that they will have to work past the generally expected retirement age of 65. The CIPD’s Employee outlook: employee attitudes to pay […]
Should millionaires be forced to publish tax details?
The shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, has said a Labour government would force people earning £1 million a year or more to publish their tax records. McDonnell said the move would help curb tax avoidance and contribute to improved trust between the elites and the rest of society. He expressed hope that more transparency would encourage […]
