Tuesday, February 18

Day: March 28, 2016

Stamp duty hikes could offer a good opportunity for first time buyers
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

Stamp duty hikes could offer a good opportunity for first time buyers

    A stamp duty hike for people purchasing second properties such as buy-to-let investments and holiday homes comes into force from Friday. The move will mean that people buying a second home will pay three percentage points above current stamp duty rates. While it could put off some investors and lead to some pushing up rents to offset their costs, it could also provide some aspiring first-time buyers with a window of opportunity. The new rates of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) will apply to purchases of additional residential properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the recent Budget, the Government confirmed that big investors will not escape the stamp duty hike, despite their contribution to the housing supply. A consultation had considered whether it may be appr...
Capital gains tax cut gives £3,000 to rich 0.3%, says Labour
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

Capital gains tax cut gives £3,000 to rich 0.3%, says Labour

    George Osborne’s budget is handing a tax cut averaging £3,000 to some of the wealthiest people in the country who make up just 0.3% of the population, the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has said. Labour is calling for the cut in capital gains tax (CGT) to be scrapped, saying it would give investors already making money about the same, on average, as the government had planned to take from disabled people under changes to benefits. The party is planning to campaign against the CGT cuts in the coming weeks to apply more pressure on the chancellor following Iain Duncan Smith’s shock resignation as work and pensions secretary, when he branded Osborne’s budget “deeply unfair”, triggering the scrapping of the disability benefit cuts. McDonnell said Osborne was the “bankers’ ...
Prominent Muslims call for calm after Glasgow shopkeeper’s killing
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

Prominent Muslims call for calm after Glasgow shopkeeper’s killing

    Prominent members of Glasgow’s Muslim community have called for calm and solidarity following the fatal stabbing of a shopkeeper whose messages of interfaith harmony united his multicultural community. Police have confirmed that the man arrested in connection with Thursday evening’s killing – which is being treated as “religiously prejudiced” – was also a Muslim. Following the revelation, Humza Yousaf, the Scottish government’s only Muslim minister, immediately responded in a tweet: “No ifs, no buts, no living in denial – vile cancer of sectarianism needs stamped out wherever it exists – including amongst Muslims.” Asad Shah, whose final Facebook update, posted a few hours before his death, offered Easter greetings “to my beloved Christian nation”, was a member of the Ahma...
Brexit campaigners put cheaper Easter eggs at heart of pitch to voters
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

Brexit campaigners put cheaper Easter eggs at heart of pitch to voters

    Leaving the EU could cut the cost of Easter eggs, pro-Brexit campaigners claimed. Unilateral trade deals with chocolate-producing countries Indonesia, Nigeria and Brazil could remove punitive tariffs imposed by Brussels on imports of cocoa-based sweet treats, Vote Leave said. As much as £1.28 of the cost of a £10 egg was accounted for by such charges. it calculated, which are levied on chocolate products but not raw cocoa beans So-called tariff escalation is criticised for discouraging industrial development. Spokesman Robert Oxley said: 'Pro-EU campaigners are constantly rabbiting on about the supposed benefits provided by the EU. "But consumers will be hopping mad to find out that the EU is actually making Easter more egg-spensive. "As well as putting up the price of foo...
Islam remains the state religion
Bangladesh, ENGLISH

Islam remains the state religion

    Islam retained the status of state religion with the High Court today rejecting a writ petition challenging the legality of a constitutional provision in this regard. Fifteen distinguished citizens filed the writ petition with the HC in 1988 challenging the amendment that gave "Islam" the status of state religion. The petitioners have no jurisdiction to move such a petition, the HC bench that binned the petition said while passing its ruling this afternoon. The bench comprised of Justice Naima Haider, Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal. Following the writ petition, the HC on June 11, 2011 issued a rule upon the government to explain why the part of the eighth amendment to the constitution that had made "Islam" state religion should not be declared il...