The ranting of a grumpy old man!

1. John Major the incorrigible dinosaur…how do we shut him up?

What is this old political ‘war horse’ doing pontificating on our TV screens and the press about a second referendum and trumpeting the virtues of the EU? Did he not know the outcome of the last year’s referendum where the people decided? Lest we forget, this is the man that got us into the ERM, the precursor of the Euro, in the first place, many years ago, at the wrong rate, which we subsequently stumbled out of in the 1992 ignominious devaluation and thank goodness for this country that we did!

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Chancellor does a volte-face on the NIC of the self employed following the Budget bungle

What a pity Chancellor Hammond did not consult more widely on the National Insurance Contribution (NIC) ‘grab’ in the recent Budget. The truth is that the employed, pay 3% more in NIC than the self employed, but receive substantially more in benefits i.e. statutory sick pay, maternity/paternity pay, pension contributions, holiday pay, subsidised heath care, crèches and ensured employment. Surely, for all these benefits they should pay a higher tax charge?

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Budget 2017: A Cry For Help

Mr Hammond, Sir, a multiplicity of businesses and property owners are suffering from the ineptitude of your predecessor and his ‘shock and awe’ SDLT hikes which have served to greatly distort the Capital’s Residential Property Markets in all sectors.

By exciting the markets in the lower prices, the vulnerable first time buyers have been further disenfranchised and the markets in the higher value ranges have been rendered stagnant and illiquid, with a 70% reduction in transactions. This has caused a needless DIY recession in this sector, resulting in less Stamp Duty Receipts for your Treasury.

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