Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Social entrepreneur and millionaire Kevin Green has given his reaction to Chancellor George Osborne's Budget -  I am very glad and that I invested my monthly pension contribution into a house rather than a pension. I am not paying intermediaries massive fees - and cutting out the middle-man means that my family are much more financially secure. The other question I would ask regarding the pension changes is: why would you pull money out of a pension and then get slapped with income tax? I also wonder why people bother locking money up in ISAs, when they may be better off shopping around for a high interest account which can achieve the same thing, if not better. I sometimes wonder with ‘vehicles’ such as the ISA, who really benefits? The customer or the introducer? I think I know the answer to that one! There’s a good plus point in the Budget with the Home Equity scheme being extended. It shows evidence that the Government wants to kick-start the economy. The extension of t...

Reaction to this afternoon's Budget from West Wales businesses - Social entrepreneur Kevin Green, one of the UK’s biggest private sector landlords, said: You obviously have to welcome the help schemes targeted at getting the housing market moving. The shared equity scheme and guarantees on new lending are very good news. The man in the street will be pleased at the £10,000 threshold and there’s good news for businesses on corporation tax. But my biggest worry is the way the Chancellor was talking about changes to welfare and benefit payments in June. He didn’t really elaborate and that must be a headache to landlords like myself. In short, many landlords will be thinking whether they should take on benefit claimants as tenants. The lack of clarity in the Chancellor’s statement will leave landlords worried. We need more detail and we need it now, not in June, as the uncertainty will not be good for the rental housing sector. Kevin is a self-made multi-millionaire and s...

One of the best-known bakery firms in South Wales has welcomed the news of the Government’s U-turn on the so-called ‘pasty tax’. Jenkins the Bakers, a third generation family business based in Llanelli and with shops across South West Wales, was in the vanguard of the campaign to halt the tax proposal. “The Government U-turn is a victory for people power,” said the Jenkins Bakery’s company secretary and director David Jenkins. “At the outset, we said that the tax was unmanageable, unpalatable and unfair. “The Government was out of order in attempting to introduce VAT on some of the nation’s favourite and most affordable foods. “We know how popular our products are and many appeal to families who are already suffering severe budget restraints in these difficult economic times. “If the ‘pasty tax’ had gone ahead, our customers would have felt the damage of this unwelcome tax in their pockets and that would have been bad news all around. The Chancellor, George Osborne, angered craft ...

One of the best-known bakery firms in South Wales has appealed for support from the public against the so-called ‘pasty tax’. Jenkins the Bakers, a third generation family business based in Llanelli and with shops across South West Wales, is in the vanguard of a campaign to halt the tax proposal. “The tax is unmanageable, unpalatable and unfair,” said the Jenkins Bakery’s operations director Russell Jenkins. “The Government is out of order in introducing VAT on some of the nation’s favourite and most affordable foods. “We know how popular our products are and many appeal to families who are already suffering severe budget restraints in these difficult economic times. “Our customers will feel the damage of this unwelcome tax in their pockets and that is bad news all around. The Chancellor, George Osborne, has angered craft bakers across the country with his Budget plan to change the VAT rules on freshly baked, hot pies, pasties and other savouries. Mr Jenkins said: “It is ant...

There’s a big chance coming up to beat the Government’s controversial decision to slap VAT on static caravans. The South and West Wales Caravan and Motorhome Show 2012 will showcase some of the leading caravans. “And it’s a really big chance to get ahead of Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne and his VAT plans,” said show organiser and promoter Lois Gibbon, pictured above. “It’s fair to say there has been a storm of controversy over the Chancellor’s plans, which were announced in the last Budget. “Caravan manufacturers are upset because they fear it will hit sales. Holiday park owners are worried it could also hit their tourism industry. “The big debate about VAT on caravans is still raging this week and there are plenty of lobby groups both inside and outside Parliament trying to get George Osborne to change his mind. “You can’t help but feel that Mr Osborne has made his mind up, however. “In which case, this is the ideal time to get ahead of the game and invest in a static carav...

Chancellor George Osborne wielded the final blow for the brewing industry with yet another 10p price increase as a result of a rise in Duty, handing the drinks market on a plate to the supermarkets. Evan-Evans, Wales’s internationally award winning brewer, has decided to help licensees through these difficult times and to price its beers so that licensees do not have to increase their beer prices. Evan-Evans chief executive Simon Buckley said: “We have brewed beer here in Wales since 1767 and the current crisis in the pub sector is going to see hundreds, if not thousands, of pubs close across the UK. Rural pubs are now under great threat of closure. “We as a brewery are determined to support our licensees through these difficult times and to make sure that they can compete by using our brands to offer customers beer at pre-Duty price increases for the summer and autumn. They will not need to increase prices on our beers. “We have brought out a new pricing structure that will allow lice...

David Butler, director of Clay Shaw Butler, chartered accountants and business consultants, gives his views on what he’d like to see Chancellor George Osborne do in the Budget next week. 1. In view of the over £200 billion quantitative easing then the Chancellor should make the banks accountable to repay a percentage of this as quickly as possible. This money can then be put to immediate use to increase public spending and to generate the extremely important Construction sector. 2. We should continue to move forward to a simpler tax system thus attracting businesses outside the UK and thus of course retaining successful and incubator companies within the UK. The concept of reducing corporation tax for smaller businesses is therefore paramount. 3. Increase anti-avoidance measures and penalise those evading tax with financial measures well before criminal measures. The lower income band are most vulnerable and therefore the system of Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits should be merely a...