The UK government is planning a National Wealth Fund to stimulate private sector investment backed by £7.3 billion in funding through the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB). Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds have instructed officials to immediately begin work to create the new National Wealth Fund by bringing together the work of the… Read more…

The British Business Bank has launched the Growth Guarantee Scheme to help smaller businesses access finance. The Growth Guarantee Scheme is the successor to the Recovery Loan Scheme and is expected to support around 11,000 smaller businesses. The British Business Bank has so far accredited 41 lenders for the scheme which will run until March… Read more…

HMRC will send Simple Assessment tax statements to pensioners in the next few weeks. The combination of frozen tax thresholds and a substantial increase to the state pension has led to many more pensioners being dragged into paying income tax for the first time. The last government froze the personal allowance at £12,570 until 2028.… Read more…

The UK’s economic recovery is finally putting ‘down roots’ after GDP grew faster than expected in May, says the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The UK economy expanded by 0.4% in May, rebounding from zero growth in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The growth figures were helped by a strong performance… Read more…

The rate of UK inflation fell to 2.3% in the year to April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Inflation is down from 3.2% in March and is the lowest level since September 2021. However, it is still above the Bank of England’s 2% target. The drop was driven by falling gas and… Read more…

Almost 300,000 self assessment taxpayers filed their return in the first week of the new tax year, HMRC has revealed. The early filers were almost 10 months ahead of the 31 January 2025 deadline. Almost 70,000 people filed their return on the opening day of 6 April this year. HMRC is encouraging people to file… Read more…

UK adults face a significant shortfall in their pension savings at retirement compared to what they wanted to retire on, according to research from Standard Life. Standard Life’s Retirement Voice Report found that, on average, retirees had hoped to build up a pension pot of £250,000. However, the average amount that they accumulated by retirement… Read more…

UK taxpayers spent the equivalent of 800 years on hold to HMRC in 2022/23, according to a report published by the National Audit Office (NAO). The report found that funding pressures, job cuts and a push to reduce costs by encouraging people to manage their tax affairs online had all led to a poor call-handling… Read more…

An HMRC error could mean that some low-income, self-employed workers lose out on their entitlement to National Insurance-related benefits like the state pension, warns the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG). The issue centres around the payment of voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) that can be made by self-employed taxpayers with profits under… Read more…

Revitalising ‘Brand Britain’ in its first 100 days in office should be a priority for the party that wins the General Election, says the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). In its Business Manifesto, the business group has mapped out the steps it says the next government can take to redefine the UK’s growth trajectory. The… Read more…