UK News
Insights from the UK and beyond
Is hitch-hiking coming back?
They say nostalgia isn’t what it used to be but there’s certainly a lot of it around at the moment.
All sorts of things are coming back as the recession forces us to cut back spending and, in some cases, change our habits quite radically.
Take Spam, for example. This deeply unlovely but cheap pork luncheon meat died a death after World War Two and was thankfully never heard of again apart from in the classic Monty Python song. Now it’s back and flying off the shelves by all accounts.
Allotments are also going great guns, with news this week that there’s a waiting list of 40 years in some parts of London.
UK minister in a spin over climate change doubters
As a top-flight racing driver, Britain’s Science Minister Paul Drayson may seem an unlikely critic of the auto industry.
The self-confessed “car nut” owns a motor racing team and competes in a 200mph Aston Martin in competitions around the world.
from DealZone:
Tata’s likely infusion into Jag, Rover, bad news for sellers
Tata Motors, which bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford earlier this year, may now have to pump at least $1 billion into the brands to keep them alive. That's bad news for U.S. automakers trying to sell brands.
While auto assets up for sale by U.S. automakers were expected to linger for a while, Tata's rough road with Jag and Land Rover are likely to keep those assets on the block for much longer.
Ban smoking in cars?
Anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) says serious thought should be given to a ban on smoking in cars.
In a report which says smoking costs the NHS 2.7 billion pounds a year, the lobby group argues that millions of children and young people are exposed to second-hand smoke in vehicles every day.
Another “slap in face with wet kipper” Budget
By Francesca Lagerberg, head of the national tax office, Grant Thornton
Most Budgets have all the attraction of being slapped in the face with a wet kipper and sadly this one is unlikely to reverse the trend. As expected, from today up goes the cost of booze (4p on a pint) and fags (11p on a packet). Also for those who like driving larger less-green new cars there is a “showroom” tax coming in from 2009 that could cost them around 950 pounds.
However, for the entrepreneur there was a little cheer. After strong representations from business, Chancellor Alistair Darling has deferred the “income shifting” rules that were due to start from this April. These were a direct attack on family-owned businesses that include lower tax paying family members who take out dividends or profits but make a less significant contribution to the business. A case last year (Jones v Garnett) went against the government and it was looking to legislate to get the result it wanted. The proposals were wide-ranging and ill-targeted. A deferral will hopefully allow time to revisit this whole approach.
A good budget?
The headlines say it was a budget that hit drinkers, smokers and gas-guzzlers.
Chancellor Alistair Darling hiked up the usual “sin taxes” in his first budget.
But he also postponed a 2p rise in fuel taxes until October.
He also made a bid for the green vote with a call for a new road pricing scheme and for retailers to charge customers for plastic bags.
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The Wall
