November 2011 Noteworthy News

The average private sector pay award given to employees of 2.6% is half the most recent inflation figure, Income Data Services has shown, whilst a snapshot of FTSE 100 Directors showed a 42% rise as average rising to 49% when adding in other Directors.

Any spending bonuses on homes abroad should be aware of  a 200-strong team of investigators and specialists, part of the ‘affluent unit’, who have been charged with identifying well-off individuals who are avoiding and evading taxes and duties as part of an HMRC clamp down on those who have earnings from homes abroad.

An N.I. holiday, exempting employers from contributions for around the first six months for any new member of staff they hire, has been called for in a help to target youth unemployment, as tax incentive  at the same time as a Job Index has shown an 8 point rise during the last month which brought job opportunities back to levels at the start of the year.

Apparently the profits of British banks could be inflated by as much as £4bn due to a bizarre accounting rule that allows them to book a gain on the fall in the value of their debt  although the Eurozone woes continue to distract from domestic challenges  Barclays and RBS are set to announce £2bn profits  and show they are on track to hit targets despite the eurozone crisis.

From November around six million children under 18, who are UK residents and do not have a Child Trust Fund (CTF), will be eligible for a Junior ISA. The limit for Junior ISAs will be set at £3,600, for those who are eligible and able to make the savings.  To ensure that children with a CTF are not disadvantaged, the CTF savings limit will treble from £1,200 to £3,600, aligning it with the new Junior ISA limit. Funds in a Junior ISA will be locked-in until age 18 and roll over into an adult ISA on maturity.  Children will be able to have one cash and one stocks and shares Junior ISA at any time, with an overarching annual contribution limit of £3,600. This is an increase from the previously proposed limit of £3,000.

Showtime:

Healthcare Estates   1-2 November  Manchester Central

Cake International  4 – 6 November NEC Birmingham

NB Additional Resource: See Cake International main website

World Travel Market  7 – 10 November Excel London

The Landlord and Letting Show  16 – 17 November  NEC Birmingham

Business Start-Up  17 -18 November Earls Court London

(Image and Article credit: Copyright SUF)