42 h. ago National insurance burden ‘life or death’ for Scottish firms as hiring and investment frozen

“These survey results highlight major concerns and challenges for Scottish businesses as a direct result of rising costs” – Doug Smith, SCC

Economics

61 h. ago HMRC warns millions of Brits who have National Insurance numbers to act today

The Labour Party government's tax arm has issued a stark warning to millions of Brits who have National Insurance (NI) numbers, urging them to take action 'today'

Events

3 d. ago UK car dealership giant slams Labour as it's hit by huge £30m 'Rachel Reeves tax hike'

The group said the increase in employer's National Insurance contributions and the rise in the National Minimum Wage will mainly be responsible for the rise

Economics

8 d. ago BoE’s Bailey sees signs of softer jobs market after National Insurance rise

Central bank governor highlights lower labour demand and ‘significant decline’ in wage growth

Politics

8 d. ago Starmer admits employer national insurance tax hikes piled pressure on British business

Keir Starmer said the government recognised it has ‘asked a lot’ of British firms since the general election

Economics

2 w. ago UK grocery watchdog investigating Amazon over alleged supplier payment delays; company insolvencies jump – business live

Groceries Code Adjudicator calls on suppliers to share their experiences of working with AmazonThe number of companies collapsing across England and Wales jumped last month, in a sign of the economic pressures hitting firms.There were 2,238 company insolvences in England and Wales during the month, which is 8% higher than in April and 15% more than in May 2024.“This latest rise in corporate insolvencies reflects the harsh reality many businesses face: fragile demand is not keeping pace with rising costs. Even the increasingly-likely prospect of rate cuts in August won’t do much to fix this – insolvency levels will remain elevated for the foreseeable future.“Sectors like hospitality are having a particularly challenging time in this environment, in no small part due to the impact on labour costs of April’s National Insurance and minimum wage increases. These businesses are now approaching what are some of their peak months and will be hoping for strong trading to bolster their resili...

Economics

2 w. ago Pressure grows on Reeves to raise taxes as borrowing hits £17.7bn in May

The borrowing was the highest on record for May outside the pandemic

Economics

2 w. ago Government borrowing jumps despite boost from national insurance hike

The ONS said borrowing rose to £17.7 billion last month, the second highest figure on record for May.

Politics

2 w. ago New call to scrap National Insurance deductions for working people aged over 60

National Contributions are no longer taken from wages when someone reaches State Pension age.

Politics

2 w. ago Young workers urged to download HMRC app to avoid summer job meltdown

The HMRC app gives instant access to crucial information such as National Insurance numbers, tax codes and previous employer details - all essential when applying for seasonal work

Politics

2 w. ago New York City might elect a truly progressive mayor – thanks to ranked

Mamdani’s campaign deserves credit for offering a clear, inspiring, progressive message. But ranked-choice voting is also helping make him competitiveWith a week left until New York’s Democratic mayoral primary, one might have thought that the former governor Andrew Cuomo would be measuring the drapes at Gracie Mansion. Real estate developers, corporations like Doordash, a smattering of billionaires and even Billy Joel have shoveled cash into his campaign, with his Super Pac spending more money than any other outside force in the city’s political history. This is on top of his entering the race with major name recognition advantage, amounting to a 20- or 30-point lead as recently as May.But according to a new poll, Zohran Mamdani – the insurgent state assemblyman and democratic socialist whom the Nation recently co-endorsed along with fellow mayoral candidate and New York City comptroller Brad Lander – has pulled ahead of Cuomo for the first time.Katrina vanden Heuvel is editorial d...

Politics

2 w. ago AO World looking to automation and offshoring in face of wage cost surge

The group is set for around an extra £8 million a year in costs from April’s higher national insurance contributions and minimum wage rise.

Politics

2 w. ago Older people urged to check for State Pension back payments worth over £8,300

DWP has paid our more than £100 million in arrears payments for historical errors linked to National Insurance credits.

Economics

2 w. ago Brits warned against travel to two new countries as UK updates Foreign Office advice

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has told Brits not to travel to two countries and it says visiting certain nations could invalidate your travel insurance

Events

2 w. ago Businesses plan further job cuts after national insurance hikes

Firms said they were also looking to a series of other measures in order to offset the jump in their operating costs

Politics

2 w. ago Third of businesses planning further job cuts after national insurance hikes

Businesses have also suggested they will cut back hours, freeze pay and hike prices.

Politics

2 w. ago Two more countries added to list Brits shouldn't travel to in new warnings

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has issued fresh travel guidance following hostilities between Israel and Iran, and it says visiting certain nations could invalidate your travel insurance

Events

2 w. ago New State Pension payment delays for older people due to retire this year

The first State Pension payment might also be higher or lower than expected even with full National Insurance contributions.

Economics

2 w. ago Britain jobless hotspots: The areas where benefits claims have soared by 40% since Rachel Reeves' National Insurance raid on businesses

Residents have told how they can live a 'middle-class life' on taxpayer cash as other locals hit out at 'lazy' young people who they claim don't try hard enough to get into work.

Politics

2 w. ago Right back at ya! Trump’s crude but effective rhetorical standby | Chris Taylor

The president has spent the past decade employing a familiar tactic. Accusing protesters of ‘insurrection’ is just the latest exampleDonald Trump and his allies wasted little time in branding the people protesting against immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles as “insurrectionists”. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy – particularly the vindictive kind – spoke darkly of a “violent insurrection”. JD Vance, the vice-president, inveighed against “insurrectionists carrying foreign flags” on the streets of the nation’s second-biggest city.It didn’t escape notice that an insurrection was exactly what the president was accused of instigating on 6 January 2021, when the flag being paraded through the Capitol was that of the Confederate secessionists. And that Trump hadn’t shown quite the same enthusiasm for sending in the troops then.Chris Taylor is a subeditor at the Guardian US and author of The Black Carib Wars: Freedom, Survival, and the Making of the ...

Politics