As expected with Brexit looming, Philip Hammond delivered a fairly non-descript Budget with only one or two small surprises. The highlights relevant to our clients are detailed below. Pensions Lifetime allowance for pensions – the Budget papers confirmed that the lifetime allowance for pension savings will increase in line with CPI, rising to £1,030,000
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A question on people’s minds at the moment is ‘Are we about to experience a stock market downturn?’ given the length of time we have been in a ‘bull market’ and also in light of the uncertainty regarding Brexit etc. Here we discuss the key findings within our domestic and the international economies and what
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It is now clear that our Prime Minister underestimated the strength of populist sentiment and we are now in a position where no party has managed to achieve a parliamentary majority. The opinion polls prior to last Thursday’s vote pointed to a Conservative win although not the landslide that was expected just a few weeks
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Following the announcement for a ‘snap-election’ on the 8th June, there has been speculative activity among traders with sharp moves in the value of the pound and UK companies. What Happened and Why? Theresa May is said to want greater power and leverage in the Brexit negotiations which she expects to be gained from a
Read MoreSpring Budget 2017 Update Yesterday, Philip Hammond the Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivered the last Spring Budget (although as he joked, we’ve been told that before, by Norman Lamont in 1992). There were no significant tax or pension changes in yesterday’s Budget that will have any immediate impact, allowing all to plan for the tax
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The new pension freedoms were launched in April 2015. It would be fair to say that these are a double-edged sword if used in wrong way. Unfortunately, like a credit card, it depends who is in control. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should! Used well, these can add real benefit, but used poorly
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Yesterday, the Prime Minister finally delivered her 12-point plan for taking the UK out of the EU. In her detailed speech, she set out her vision for a ‘managed Brexit’ that would seek ‘a new, positive and constructive partnership between Britain and the European Union’. Here we comment briefly on global economic progress and the
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This will be the last Autumn Statement. In future, the Budget Day will switch from spring to autumn, with a toned down statement on the economy delivered each March. This will give welcome breathing space between the announcement of budget changes and their introduction. Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Statement didn’t contain any major tax or
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The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has recently issued a reminder to all those who have expressed an interest in topping up their Additional State pension by up to £25 per week. The option to make Class 3A Voluntary Contributions applies to individuals who attained their state pension age on or before 5 April 2016, i.e.
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We have all had our chance to vote and have judged the benefits of an independent life outside the EU to be worth the costs of leaving it. In spite of the more emotional appeals to the contrary, this is not a disaster. The UK will certainly suffer an economic impact as businesses consider their
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