Financial news

• There's a new cultural war taking place – and it's targeting progressive tax | Greg Jericho

  09-06-2018 22:00
  The government’s income tax plan could fundamentally alter the way our society operates Often when we hear talk of cultural wars, it’s about political correctness and a desire to glorify some skewed vision of western civilisation. But the real war to change our culture and society is being waged on the economic front – especially on the issue of taxation. And the result of the current debate over the government’s income tax plan could fundamentally alter the way our socie
  
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• Even after the crash, voters still don’t want safe lending | Phillip Inman

  09-06-2018 18:00
  A Swiss referendum on responsible banking looks likely to be defeated. And if it fails there, it would have no chance in BritainTen years after the financial crash, most Britons remain suspicious of calls to be adventurous with public money. Aware that the pre-2008 economy was akin to a high-wire act, they believe lapsing back into the old borrow-to-spend routine will only herald another disaster.That’s why the chancellor, Philip Hammond, feels secure when he bats away calls to throw off h
  
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• Bitcoin latest: 'Whales' with $37.5bn holdings scoop up THIRD of crypto market

  09-06-2018 17:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  A SECRET cluster of 1,600 investors known as bitcoin whales’ collectively hold a third of the entire cryptocurrency with holdings of $37.5billion, according to new data.
  
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• The great timetable fiasco: what’s gone wrong with England’s railways?

  09-06-2018 17:54
  After years of engineering upgrades, the stage was set for a vastly improved service: instead, two franchises are crippledFor hundreds of thousands of commuters, a rail timetable change will never seem innocuous again. Before the schedules were switched three weeks ago, plenty of people had predicted teething troubles: train companies had spoken of the logistical challenge ahead, and commuters were told to expect some initial disruption.At the time, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), a key commuter
  
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• End of line for chief as BT rings changes

  09-06-2018 14:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  BT pulled the plug on chief executive Gavin Patterson’s five-year reign as the telecoms giant acknowledged a “need for change” to revive its fortunes.
  
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• More than 1m families waiting for social housing in England

  09-06-2018 10:51
  Shelter figures show 1.15 million households on waiting lists last year with only 290,000 homes made availableMore than 1 million families are stuck on waiting lists for social housing in England as the number of council homes in Britain slumps to a record low. Figures from the housing and homelessness charity Shelter show that a total of 1.15 million households were on waiting lists last year, with only 290,000 homes made available, leaving a national shortfall of more than 800,000 homes. Conti
  
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• World Cup 2018: which firms will be winners and losers?

  09-06-2018 09:00
  Some are looking forward to a boost to their bottom line while others fear the oppositeAs football fans count the days until Russia’s match with Saudi Arabia kicks off the 2018 World Cup, attention is turning to who might win the coveted trophy. Brazil and Germany are inevitably among the favourites, and despite the gloomy lessons of history there is renewed optimism about England’s prospects after a couple of positive warm-up matches.In the business world too there is a sense of ant
  
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• The high street fights back: 'I believe Darlington can thrive'

  09-06-2018 09:00
  Despite two landmark stores shutting, the town’s retailers are determined to stay positive“Darlington used to be like Harrogate years ago,” says 65-year-old Jenny McGee, as she comes out of Binns, an art deco department store at one end of Darlington town centre. “People used to tell me about how all the women here wore these nice hats and coats with gloves. It was a smart place.”
  The Tees Valley market town found out this week that Binns, bought by House of Fraser
  
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• Litecoin ‘on the brink of GREATNESS’ Cryptocurrency could spark global trading BOOM

  09-06-2018 09:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  EXCLUSIVE: LITECOIN is poised on the “brink of greatness” and could go on a “bull run” that leads to a mass trading boom across global markets, cryptocurrency experts have said.
  
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• What can I do to bring old garden decking back to life?

  09-06-2018 08:00
  Our back garden decking is grey and worn out – if I try to to restore it, will it still look shabby?Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.Our back garden patio has wood decking that is 10 years old, grey and worn out, and mouldy green in places. Is it possible to bring old decking back to life, and if so, how? I fear spending the next few weeke
  
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• TSB troubles? Find the best current account deals on offer

  09-06-2018 08:00
  If you’re considering switching banks but unsure where to go, we’ve rounded up the optionsBetween 400 and 500 people a day are ditching TSB and switching to rivals following its IT meltdown. Continue reading...
  
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• Renting? You’re lucky to have £23 left after paying the bills | Patrick Collinson

  09-06-2018 08:00
  For most private tenants, renting is not a lifestyle choice – it’s the only option available to them
  How much money do you need each week to enjoy a decent life, once the rent or mortgage, gas and electricity and food shop are seen to? Some cash for lunch at work. Maybe a weekly trip to the cinema or pub, the occasional restaurant visit, while putting money aside for an annual holiday. Yet shocking figures from Nationwide reveal that a third of people privately renting in the UK &nda
  
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• ‘I use what is available with enjoyment, padded out with hard work’

  09-06-2018 08:00
  Charity founder on how she made Virginia Woolf’s idea that writers need ‘a room of one’s own’ a realityI am guided by the mantra in Virginia Woolf’s 1929 essay A Room of One’s Own in which she said that a woman needs £500 a year and a room of her own if she is to write. Twenty years ago I set up a charity with £5 to allow older women writers a period of seclusion in a country cottage, plus an allowance of £1,000 a month. It flourishes and sho
  
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• Green Motion has low car hire rates – but users say there’s a sting in the tail

  09-06-2018 08:00
  It is easily our most complained-about car hire firm, as drivers claim they get huge bills for barely visible scratchesIt is the car hire firm with a trail of angry customers, furious at bills presented to them when they return a car for hundreds – even thousands – of pounds for damage they say is barely visible or that was there already.Green Motion, which has franchised branches at most major UK airports, appears to offer remarkably cheap deals – often a third of the price ch
  
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• Au pair shortage sparks childcare crisis for families

  09-06-2018 08:00
  75% slump in applications blamed on Brexit and fallout from terrorist attacksMany families are facing a childcare crisis following a 75% slump in the number of young Europeans willing to work as au pairs, as Brexit, plus other factors such as last year’s terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, deter young people from coming to the UK.May, June and early July are when most au pair placements are arranged, before the beginning of the school term in September, but Guardian Money has learn
  
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