Fuel prices report by Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Fuel margins of retailers – the difference between what a retailer pays for its fuel and what it sells at – remain around the high levels seen during the CMA’s road fuel market study.
Supermarket fuel margins increased over the May to August 2024 period, up from 7.0% in April to 8.1% in August.
How Council Tax is calculated
To calculate your Council Tax, you need to know the following:
The valuation band of your property in England, Wales, or Scotland
The amount your local council charges for that band
Whether you qualify for a discount or exemption from the full bill
If you are on a low income or receive
What are your concerns?
According to the Office for National Statistics as of October 2024, the primary concerns among individuals in the UK are:
National Health Service (NHS): 85% of adults identified the NHS as a significant issue, reflecting widespread apprehension about healthcare services.
Cost of Living: 84% of
Subscription scams
New proposals to crack down on subscription traps, have been unveiled by the Department for Business and Trade as the government launches a consultation on measures to make it easier for consumers to get a refund or cancel unwanted subscriptions.
“Subscription traps” are instances where
What is an acceptable pensions income?
Determining an acceptable level of pension income for retirement depends on individual circumstances, including lifestyle expectations, health, and financial commitments. However, several guidelines and studies provide benchmarks to assist in planning.
Retirement Living Standards
The Pensions and
HMRC promotes its app
HMRC has been busy promoting the benefits of using its app. A new advertising campaign launched by HMRC is targeted at 18 to 34 year olds and showcases how the app can help them with their tax affairs and finances.
HMRC’s free tax app is available to download from the App Store for iOS and from the
EV or diesel – for and against
When evaluating the annual running costs of electric vehicles (EVs) compared to diesel cars, several key factors come into play: fuel (or electricity) expenses, maintenance, insurance, taxation, and depreciation. Here’s a detailed comparison:
Fuel/Electricity Costs
Diesel Cars: Assuming an
Help to Save scheme extended
As part of the recent Budget measures, it has been confirmed that the Help to Save scheme is to be extended by a further 2 years, until April 2027. The last date an account can be opened under the current scheme will be 5 April 2027. Around 517,000 Help to Save accounts have been opened since its
Crackdown on insurance fraud
Insurance companies have united to step up efforts to crack down on fraudsters seeking to manipulate the UK insurance market with bogus claims and duping innocent people into buying fake insurance policies.
In 2023 alone, 84,400 fraudulent claims worth £1.1 billion were detected by the Association
Recent speculation on forthcoming Budget
There is unlikely to be much to celebrate when Rachel Reeves delivers her first Budget on the 30th of October.
Speculation is rife regarding the likely targets for tax increases. We have listed a few of the more persistent predictions below. But note, these are just predictions and there will no