#tax-policy

#tax-policy

A group of New Hampshire Republicans gathered inside the Massachusetts State House Thursday to "endorse" Gov. Maura Healey, saying that her policies are driving business to the Granite State. New Hampshire state reps. Brian Labrie, Joe Sweeney, and Joe Alexander partnered with the conservative-leaning think tank Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance for the event. They displayed a poster comparing New Hampshire's low or nonexistent taxes to those in Massachusetts, above a message that read "New Hampshire can't afford to lose a friend like Maura!"

The super-rich are inheriting record levels of wealth as they pass down billions of dollars to their children, grandchildren and spouses, research by a Swiss bank favoured by billionaires shows. Globally, there are 9,919 billionaires this year, up from 2,682 in 2024, UBS found. Of these, 91 people this year became billionaires through inheritance, collectively receiving $298bn (223bn) in the 12 months to April, the bank said.

Reeves told MPs she would introduce "lowest tax rates since 1991" for the high street using "tax rates" in the plural but only one of the new multipliers is even close to the level seen in 1991 which will apply to only the smallest properties with much higher effective tax rates for the rest of the high street. The Chancellor's comparison hinges on the new 38.2p multiplier for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) properties with a rateable value between £12,000 and £51,000.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has denied accusations that Chancellor Rachel Reeves misled the cabinet or the public over the state of the public finances ahead of last week's Budget, after a fresh row erupted between the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Speaking at a nursery in London, Starmer defended Reeves' tax rises and her decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap, despite weeks of speculation over possible income tax hikes. He insisted that revenue-raising measures were unavoidable and dismissed allegations that the government exaggerated the scale of its fiscal challenges. "There was no misleading," he said. "It was inevitable we would always have to raise revenue. I was clear we needed more headroom."

It can't be seen or touched, but it's shaking up markets and attracting investment. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the object of desire for Big Tech, which is pouring astronomical sums into its development, fueled by record profits. The other side of this frenzy is workforce reductions, with automation as the backdrop, announced by multinationals like Amazon, Meta, and UPS, which, incidentally, threaten to extend

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Pensioners, particularly those who are continuing to work after they have reached retirement age will be amongst the biggest losers from the various tax rises the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves is expected to announce. Many of the tax changes that have been rumoured in the run-up to this Budget could impact pensioners in particular. The so-called 'mansion tax', which might increase the council tax charges on people who own properties in council tax bands F to H,

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Zohran Mamdani won a resounding mayoral victory by promising to make it cheaper to live in New York City. However, his victory earlier this month may have the unintended effect of making it even more expensive for the ultrawealthy to afford their homes in favorite ex-New Yorker haunts like Greenwich, Palm Beach, and the Hamptons, top real estate agents told Business Insider.

James Fitzgerald, landlord of the Thatched House in Hammersmith, said his costs have risen by 22,000 over the past year - with the increase in National Insurance a major factor. He said he had already cut his own wage, reduced staff hours, and trimmed other running costs, and there was no more room to make savings. "If it goes up again, eventually I'll end up doing it for free and then I'll have to pull out. There's no way to survive."

Under the proposed legislation, taxpayers would be able to transfer bitcoin (BTC) to the Treasury or to approved financial agents designated by the Secretary of the Treasury. The transferred BTC would count as full satisfaction of tax liabilities, with no capital gains recognized on the transaction. Fair market value at the time of transfer would determine the amount credited, similar to how foreign currency payments are handled today.

Confidence is at its most fragile, businesses are holding back, investors are cautious, and families are tightening their belts. I've spent the past two decades building businesses from the ground up. No silver spoon, no safety net - just resilience, risk and relentless hard work. That's the story of thousands of entrepreneurs across this country. We're not asking for handouts, just a fair playing field and a government that trusts us to build.

A new Reuters poll shows President Trump's approval rating falling to its lowest level, apparently because of prices and the Epstein files, Varney began, adding: His approval rating sits at 39% [should be 38%], down nine points from when he took office.

Despite this renewed confidence, many SMEs are still facing the same barriers they faced at last years' Budget and are calling on the Government to unlock productivity in this month's Budget. Top of the list is help with high energy costs (40%), rising to over half (54%) for medium-sized firms. Meanwhile, a third (34%) want more tax incentives for innovation and investment, highlighting areas of policy change that could help fuel business productivity and future growth.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's affordability platform is broadly popular with Americans across the U.S., new polling finds, adding evidence to the notion that politicians looking for winning ideas should consider tacking to the left. Polling of 1,133 American adults conducted by YouGov in the days surrounding Mamdani's decisive win in New York City's mayoral election finds majority support for all of the major tenets of Mamdani's platform,

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.