Budget tax hikes send business confidence to two year low, survey shows Economics S&P's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the services sector showed that business expectations for the year ahead were at their lowest level since December 2022.
Manufacturing activity drops to nine-month low following Budget Economics Rob Dobson, director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said manufacturing was struggling due to a combination of high costs, weak demand and concerns over the economic outlook.
Business confidence takes ‘decisive turn for the worse’ after Budget, says CBI Economics The Confederation for British Industry's (CBI) growth indicator showed that more firms expected activity to fall in the three months to February than to increase.
UK business leader confidence nosedives towards pandemic lows December 1, 2024 Confidence among business leaders in the prospects for the UK economy nosedived towards levels not seen since the coronavirus pandemic during November, as fears over rising national insurance bills plague firms. The Institute of Director’s monthly Economic Confidence index fell to -65 in November, down from -52 during October in its fourth consecutive monthly fall. [...]
Let’s be honest… this Budget is austerity for the private sector October 30, 2024 Rachel Reeves has introduced a new kind of Marxism with this Budget, where private industry foots the bill for an expanding public sector, and the poorest don’t get better off, says Mattew Lesh Just two months ago, in a speech delivered inside Downing Street, Keir Starmer declared that growth and wealth creation were his government’s [...]
Autumn Budget: Which taxes will Rachel Reeves hike? October 22, 2024 With the Autumn Budget set to be delivered in just a few days, speculation about which taxes Chancellor Rachel Reeves will opt to raise has reached fever pitch. On entering No 11 Downing Street, Reeves commissioned the Treasury to conduct a thorough spending audit, which she claimed unearthed a “fiscal black hole” of £22bn, paving [...]
When it comes to national insurance, the government is pulling a fast one October 16, 2024 One of the many problems the government has got itself into over tax rises that may or may not appear in the upcoming Budget is an oversimplification of where the cost of a certain tax falls. Ministers and their supporters talk about Capital Gains Tax as if it only lands on rich people selling off [...]
Employer National Insurance hike could risk jobs amid 95,0000 vacancies October 15, 2024 Increasing employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) could pose a risk to jobs amid some 95,000 vacancies across pubs and restaurants, a hospitality lobby group has warned. Data released from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today revealed there are a “stubbornly high” 95,000 openings across the sector, including in venues, cafes and eateries. Hospitality UK [...]
National Insurance hike will be ‘difficult’ for businesses, warns CBI boss October 15, 2024 Increasing employers’ National Insurance contributions will make it “harder for businesses to create the jobs and the growth” needed to “help fund our public services”, the boss of one of the UK’s largest business groups has warned. Speaking a day after Keir Starmer refused to rule out hiking National Insurance contributions paid by businesses, Rain [...]
Ministers refuse to rule out hike to employer national insurance rate October 14, 2024 The Chancellor and business secretary have again refused to rule out a hike employers’ National Insurance (NI) contributions in the upcoming Budget when speaking on the sidelines of the government’s investment summit today. Speaking exclusively to City AM on the question of whether Labour would increase employers’ NI, Jonathan Reynolds stressed: “I think the manifesto [...]