House sales rise following stamp duty land tax holiday

House sales in England and Northern Ireland shot up by 21.3% in September 2020, according to the Treasury.This follows a 15.6% increase in residential property transactions in August 2020, a direct result of the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) holiday announced on 8 July...

NAO warns ‘considerable’ levels of furlough fraud

The National Audit Office (NAO) claims the speed at which the furlough scheme was rolled out leaves it open to considerable levels of fraud and error.It said there is considerable risk that some employers committed furlough fraud, either by keeping employees working...

SMEs call for more Government support

Businesses are calling for more Government support to stop increasing costs and further alleviate the business rates burden, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The FSB proposed lowering the costs of employer National Insurance contributions to help...

State pension set for inflation-busting rise in 2021/22

Retirees will see their state pensions increase by 2.5% next year under the triple-lock scheme.Under the current rules, the new state pension rises by whichever is the highest of earnings growth, price inflation, or 2.5%. The price inflation figure used is the...