More things which may have been overlooked - - -
Christina
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[Yesterday I posted a Sunday Telegraph calculation of 3 separate methods of closing deficits on government spending and taxes each totalling £22bn a year. In contrast here’s a brief but more extensaive view from another source -cs]
Think Tank calls for tax rises
Steep tax rises and spending cuts of £100 bn are needed to rescue the ailing public finances, a leading think tank says.
The Centre for Business and Economic Research said the measures would be needed to get the budget deficit down to £50 bn by 2014-5.
The think tank said the decline in economic growth had ‘probably just about stopped’ but the recovery would be ‘sluggish’.
(Telegraph 13/7/09)
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EU asks horse owners to pledge not to eat their animals ...
Horse owners will have to sign a pledge not to eat their animals under new EU legislation, it has been reported. (Telegraph 22/06/2009)
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Mortgage lenders report fraud on the rise
A rush for cut-price property by bargain-hunting buyers has led to an increase in fraudulent mortgage applications, with the number of inflated salary claims soaring.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) told The Times that its members had reported the increase in the face of scarce loans and stricter lending rules.
Abbey, one of Britain’s biggest mortgage lenders, said: “There has been an increase in fraud across the board as a result of borrowers finding themselves in more difficult financial circumstances. There are particularly more instances of borrowers giving wrong salary details [Times 13/7/09]
[These are the same people getting angry with even those MPs who have done nothing whatsoever illegal -cs]
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Swiss tax rules lure McDonald’s from UK
McDonald’s is to leave London for Geneva, joining the growing ranks of US companies moving their European headquarters to take advantage of preferential intellectual property tax laws [FT 13/7/09]
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New blow to sickness benefit applicants
More than two-thirds of applicants for sickness benefits are being rejected under a new testing regime, casting doubt on the validity of 2.6m existing claimants deemed unfit for work.
According to data seen by several welfare industry figures, up to 90 per cent of applicants are being judged able to work in some regions and placed on unemployment rolls rather than long-term ill-health benefits
[FT 13/7/09]
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Swine flu strikes Downing Street – and almost reaches G8 summit
The first case of swine flu has struck Downing Street and it nearly caused a diplomatic crisis.
Gordon Brown's senior climate change adviser Michael Jacobs was banned from attending the G8 summit in Italy for fear he would pass the contagious disease to Barack Obama and other world leaders.
It is understood that Jacobs contracted the disease while involved in climate change talks in Mexico [Guardian 13/7/09] [One is tempted to say ‘serve him right’! but, of course I wouldn’t dream of doing so -cs]
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Wanted: help for Westminster diva Liam Byrne
Liam Byrne's 11-page memo to his staff, which would have embarrassed the most demanding diva with its instructions for precisely when they should bring him coffee and soup, appears to have left him short-handed.
The Cabinet Office Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has decided to post a job advertisement at the House of Commons.
In it, he encourages candidates who must have a wide range of expertise, including "excellent research skills" and the "ability to present findings in concise plain English", to take advantage of this "exciting opportunity".
Naturally, the successful candidate will be expected to have no financial ambitions in Westminster. The job, for which the hours are "flexible", does not pay a penny. [Telegraph - Mandrake -13/7/09]
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