HSBC’s China losses have been branded a ‘black hole’ (Image: Getty) HSBC’s troubles in China – which have seen it suffer a £2.4billion dollar hit – risk the UK-based bank being sucked into a “black hole” with clear implications for Britain, a tax consultant has warned. HSBC last month said pre-tax profits surged by nearly […]

Every year, around 10,000 pensioners are forced to pay on average £3,000 each in tax to HMRC unnecessarily. Incredibly, some have had to hand over as much as £55,000. They then have to go through the rigmarole of either claiming it back or waiting for a refund long after the tax year is over. Incredibly, […]

Royal Mail has said it will increase the price of stamps again next month. The troubled delivery giant said the price of first-class stamps will increase by 10p to £1.35 and second-class stamps will increase by 10p to 85p. A year ago, a first-class stamp cost 95p before being hiked to £1.10 in April 2023, […]

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been urged to simplify the rules for inheritance tax allowances in a boost for many Britons. Elisabeth Squires, director and solicitor at Britton and Time, said the tax could be eased by reducing the threshold for paying the tax or decreasing the tax rate. She told Express.co.uk: “As it presently stands, […]

Utility Warehouse (UW) has launched a new fixed energy tariff priced £388 lower than Ofgem’s current price cap. The three-service Fixed Saver 15 tariff is 20 percent below the cap at £1,540 and it’s available to customers who take energy and switch at least two of their existing services – from broadband, mobile or insurance […]

Millions of workers across the UK are set to see a significant increase in their wages over the coming weeks. The most noticeable change will be felt by the lowest-paid individuals, who will benefit from the rise in the National Living Wage starting from April. Those earning the minimum wage can look forward to an […]

Asda has said it will invest £150 million into giving more than 120,000 staff an 8.4 percent pay rise. The UK’s third largest supermarket chain has said it will increase basic pay for retail workers to £12.04 later this year. It is the latest supermarket group to hike pay rates ahead of an increase in […]

Annual growth in house prices turned positive for the first time in around a year in February, according to an index. Across the UK, property values increased by 1.2 percent annually in February, following a 0.2 percent fall in January, Nationwide Building Society said. It marked the first month since January 2023 that Nationwide recorded […]

Calls have been made to cut a ‘hidden’ tax which is estimated to cost the public and businesses as much as £8 billion every year. Insurance tax adds an extra 12 percent on to most insurance policies – which means an average of £67 is added to premiums for car insurance. This tax shoots up […]

A free recipe book has been created to help households slash their cooking times and energy bills without the need to splash out on complicated air fryers. By tweaking ingredients and ways of preparing meals, clever cooking can reduce energy costs by up to 80% compared to traditional recipes. Research shows it costs £208.93 a […]