Supply of housing is starting to outstrip the demand, according to one body. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has released its latest UK Housing Market survey, which shows that the sector has recovered from the dip in January. Jeremy Leaf,...

A recent move by equity release into mainstream retirement funds is "gratifying", according to one expert. Andrea Rozario, director general of Safe Home Income Plans (Ship), noted that a debate by the All Party Parliamentary Group had hopefully...

The Budget needs to showcase plans for public finances that will restore confidence, an expert has claimed. Richard Lambert, the Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) director-general, noted in a letter to Alistair Darling that the UK's fiscal...

Individuals believe that pensions remain the best way to save money, a body has claimed. The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has released research that found 77 per cent of employees would look more favourably on a company that offered a...

There is just one week left for people looking to use the New Disclosure Opportunity (NDO) on offshore accounts. It means that in order to put their affairs in order at a 10% penalty rate, individuals need to settle any outstanding tax, duty and interest...

Small businesses are paying a higher flat rate than they should have to, it has been claimed. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) noted that the agricultural services sector is paying 2.5 per cent extra, while newsagents, grocers and tobacconists are...

Pension schemes are coming under increasing pressure and immediate action needs to be taken, it has been claimed Mark Brooks, spokesperson for the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), noted that his organisation wants to see a Budget that will...

The decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to retain the 0.5% base rate is unsurprising considering that a general election is only around the corner, according to one expert. Robert Sinclair, director of Association of the Mortgage Intermediaries,...

The more complicated a tax system is, the harder it becomes for small businesses to follow it, an expert has stated. Steve Hughes, economic adviser at the British Chambers of Commerce, noted that the cost of compliance can sometimes hinder companies from...

Over £5 billion worth of tax has been rescheduled by HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) Business Payment Support Service (BPSS) in its first 15 months, newly released figures have suggested. The BPSS allows companies to make...

Low interest rates and reviving economies helped to avoid a housing market meltdown across Europe, a new study has suggested. The latest Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) European Housing Review found that, in the UK, prices...

Moving incapacity benefit (IB) claimants on to employment and support allowance (ESA) may result in a loss of income for a number of people, it has been claimed. The impact of these changes has not been fully assessed, according to the...

Less-sizeable firms are failing to expand as fast as they could because of complex tax rules hindering their growth, one organisation has suggested. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), in conjunction with ICM, revealed in a survey...

Individuals hoping to gain more information on ways in which to file and pay their VAT, PAYE and corporation taxes could be helped by a new Super Podcast being launched by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The organisation, which was...

The new figures on business investment are worse than expected, according to one expert. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, stated that annual falls in business amounted to 24%, and 35% in manufacturing....

The time left to claim any outstanding taxes from the 2004/05 year is approaching. The 31 March deadline is only one month away, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) noted, so anyone who does not want to lose out on money that they could be...

Statistics from the Land Registry have shown that house prices rose in January, it has been revealed. Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) chief economist Simon Rubinsohn noted that there are doubts about whether or not this...

Pensioners are being poorly served by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), it has been suggested. A report issued by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts found that many elderly people pay tax that they do not have to. ...

The next 12 months will be critical for UK pensions, according to one expert. Joanne Segars, from the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), has called on the government to make sure that the last budget of the parliament is one...

The housing market remains in a period of uncertainty, it has been suggested by one expert. Paul Samter, the Council of Mortgage Lenders' (CML's) chief economist, noted that although the sector finished 2009 well, he expects to see a...

People have been lulled into a false sense of security over the state of their pensions, an expert has claimed. Ros Altman, pensions expert, noted that confidence had been lost in the sector and she believes there is not a high enough...

The traded life policy investments (TLPI) market is suffering from a number of problems and there is no way that it can provide a viable option for mainstream investors, the Financial Services Authority's head of investments has said. ...

Over £1.5 billion worth of loans for home purchases were made in the final quarter of 2009 in Scotland, it has been revealed. The data was released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and also found that the improvement in the...

The proportion of households choosing to be owner-occupied is continuing to decrease, an expert has claimed. Simon Rubinsohn, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) chief economist, noted that the peak year for it was in 2003,...

The draft tax framework for business is welcome, but what the government does in practice will be more important, an expert has claimed. Andrew Hubbard, president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), noted his support for the...

A quarter of companies questioned (25%) expect output to rise in the next three months, with the resulting balance of +7% the strongest figure since March 2008. The Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) monthly Industrial Trends...

Companies are being misled by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) over tax credits, it has been suggested. The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) has accused the institution of simplifying their latest message in such a way that it could...

Placing a levy on those in the financial industry is a good idea to quicken the economic recovery in Britain. This is the suggestion of Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber, who stated that this particular sector should...

The provision of home loans is to experience a slow start to the year, one organisation has claimed. According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), while this will pick up speed over the next ten months, the flood of applicants in...

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) collected an extra £373 million from wealthy tax evaders in 2008/09, which represented a 360% increase from the previous five years. The figures were obtained by the law firm McGrigors after it lodged...

Conditions for those looking to get a loan are better than they were in the previous recession, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has said. The body was commenting after the release of statistics showed 46,000 properties were taken into...

House prices are continuing to recover, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The organisation noted that figures released separately by the Department of Communities and Local Government, the Bank of England and...

Over a fifth (21%) of companies believe the high level of regulation makes equity release a viable option for the future. The poll was carried out by Safe Home Income Plans (SHIP) - which accounts for 90% of the market - and 58% of its...

A cut in national insurance contributions would help small businesses employ more staff, according to one expert. John Wright, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), stated that members of his organisation have a...

A global financial transaction tax could generate £100 billion a year to help governments reduce their deficits, a new report has suggested. Taxing Banks is being supported by a number of agencies, including the TUC, Christian Aid...

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has stated that it agrees with proposals outlined by the Treasury to extend regulation to cover second-charge mortgages. According to the group, all secured lending should be handled by the Financial...

Nearly an eighth (13%) of companies think a new government should focus on making the UK tax system more competitive, according to one study. The British Chambers of Commerce's (BCC) latest monthly business survey also revealed that an...

The Association of Independent Financial Advisers (AIFA) has emphasised the need for an examination of the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) expenses and hoped that it may occur during a planned review by the National Audit Office. ...

Annuity rates have fallen by over half since 1990, one expert has claimed. Ros Altman, pensions expert, stated that they could continue to get worse due largely to the effect of Solvency II - a series of regulatory requirements for...

The use of retrospective legislation is concerning as it damages "certainty" in the tax system, an expert has claimed. John Whiting, tax policy director at the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), stated that he accepts the...

December saw 24,900 applications for first-time buyer loans - the highest number since November 2007 - new figures have revealed. The Council of Mortgage Lenders announced that 55% of purchases were on properties under £175,000 in a...

Consumer price index inflation rose to well above its 2% target in December, according to an inflation report released by the Bank of England. The study found that the prospects for inflation remain uncertain and there are significant...

A total of 20,061 mortgage possession claims were issued in the fourth quarter of 2009, which was 15% lower than the previous quarter, it has been revealed. The study was released by the Ministry of Justice and also found that 16,928...

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has announced that employers with fewer than 50 staff will no longer be able to fill in their returns on paper. The important changes to the pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) system mean that employer annual returns...

The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has unveiled two initiatives designed to implement a stronger culture in the sector. David Paterson, NAPF's head of corporate governance, noted that the measures will hopefully improve the...

The number of surveyors expecting house prices to rise increased from 12% in December to 24% in January, new figures have revealed. Also shown in the results by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) was the fact that 24% of...

A significant number of pensioner tax codes being sent out this week will be incorrect, it has emerged. The news follows an announcement by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that due to the introduction of a new computing system unexpected...

The decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) not to increase quantitative easing (QE) was the right one, an expert has claimed. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, noted that although there was no need...

The announcement by the Bank of England that it is to keep the base rate and quantitative easing (QE) at the same level does not come as a surprise, it has been claimed. Ian McCafferty, Confederation of British Industry chief economic...

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) recommended insolvency to 39,663 of its clients in 2009, it has been revealed. Of those who were advised, 20,659 of them were urged to go into bankruptcy. The insolvency...