- More uni courses cut in England
- Haulier fare subsidy 'must remain'
- Tax-dodging landlords 'targeted'
- Housing market recovery 'not there'
- 'Little prospect' for oil fund plan
- Disability cuts 'are devastating'
- Heart care 'more likely for rich'
- Lockerbie probe request to Libya
- Lennon bomb plot accused for trial
- 'MP' held after Commons disturbance
- 'Serious failings' at health board
- Cottage death OAP 'was murdered'
- Murder jury retraces woman's steps
- Pine marten control called for
- Direct flights 'key for economy'
- Navy diver joins Concordia probe
- Independence plan 'may block bank'
- Moore suggests earlier referendum
- Anorexia no fad, says MSP father
- Bronze sculpture stolen from museum
More stories
New pension scheme will cost biggest firms up to £11m each
SCOTLAND’S largest employers face a potential bill of up to £11 million each under new legislation designed to “auto-enrol” employees into pension schemes, research has suggested.
5 commentsCash-strapped parents snub new child savings accounts
THE government’s new child savings accounts have come in for renewed criticism as a report out today reveals a lack of consumer appetite for the products.
1 commentTax evasion crackdown shock for electricians
Electricians are the subject of the latest tax evasion clampdown as HM Revenue & Customs seeks to raise much-needed funds for the government.
barclays ring the changes with money transfer phone app
THE first smartphone “app” allowing current account customers to transfer their money using only their telephone has been launched by Barclays.
New curbs may mean an end to interest-only mortgages
Thousands of borrowers on interest-only loans are set to become “mortgage prisoners” after the UK’s biggest lenders imposed new restrictions on the arrangements.
Loans
Shock delay to pensions will hit thousands
THE government is contacting people whose pension age is being put back over the next few years - and the news is set to come as a shock to thousands of Scots who won’t be getting their state pension when they had expected it.
Lifetime cashflow can improve lifestyle plan
THE question that most people want an answer to, but are afraid to ask is, “Can I maintain my lifestyle without running out of money?”
Alistair Blyth: Changes that could affect your pension contributions
WITH effect from April 6, 2011, the annual allowance for pension contributions was reduced from £255,000 per annum, to £50,000 per annum. Individual contributions are capped at 100 per cent of net relevant earnings, or £3,600 if greater.
Michael Stokes: Pension options for people with ill health
MANY of us are reluctant to consider what happens to finances in the event of serious ill health or premature death. It is advisable to think about these things. We should control our pension planning rather than think we rely on pension providers to agree with what we want to do.
in Wishart: The power of proper financial planning pays big dividends
WHEN it comes to your finances, it’s wise to make sure you know who you are dealing with, what they actually do, and whether it is right for what you want.
Mortgages
Gimme shelter: boom time for second homes
The number of second or “holiday” homes in the UK has grown in the last year despite a tough economic climate, a study has found.
1 commentMortgage approvals hit two-year high as debt is blitzed
MORTGAGE approvals rose to a two-year high in December, official figures showed, as borrowers continued to shrink their debts, repaying £400 million in personal loans.
3 commentsFirst-time buyers hit by rising living costs
First-time buyers are facing a squeeze – despite falling mortgage costs – due to rising living expenses.
Buyers ‘hold power’ in housing market
SIX out of ten of people wanting to move home believe the current market favours buyers, with Scots more likely to hold this opinion and Londoners the least likely, research released today shows.
Pensions
How your TV remote control could boost Britain’s pension pot
The solution to Britain’s pensions crisis could be at the touch of a button of a television remote control, a think-tank has suggested.
1 commentPension reforms ‘will not save money in long term’
The government’s controversial public sector pension reforms are unlikely to save money in the long term, according to a new report by a research group.
1 commentMP turns up heat over Heineken pensions deal
Politicians have increased the pressure on Dutch brewer Heineken following allegations that it broke a pledge to pensioners of Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) in the wake of its takeover of the Edinburgh-based com–pany in 2008.
Radical redesign ‘is essential for pensions’
PENSIONS should be radically redesigned into more flexible “lifetime savings accounts” to help young people pay off debts such as student loans, according to the head of Saga.
1 comment
Savings
Dunedin directors in ownership battle
THE directors of the collapsed Edinburgh IFA Dunedin Independent are embroiled in a dispute with their former owner Helvetia Wealth over a new business venture they have set up in the city.
Tax
Chief’s tax-free deal ended
The UK government has said it will end a deal under which the head of the Student Loans Company – which has its headquarters in Glasgow – has been paid via a company without tax being deducted.
1 commentTop rate of tax is ‘unlikely’ to be axed
The 50p top rate of tax “certainly looks” as if it is here to stay, London Mayor Boris Johnson said yesterday.
HMRC grants strike breathing space
PEOPLE who miss next week’s tax self-assessment deadline will not be fined because of a strike by tax office staff.
- Alan Pattullo: Dignity, not sanctimony, is required at Parkhead
- 300 jobs at risk as Ryanair axes five Edinburgh routes
- Suzanne Pilley trial: I kissed her goodbye then never saw her again, says would-be lover
- Rangers administration: Craig Whyte’s promise to step aside and hand Rangers over to fans ‘ludicrous’
- David Cameron is playing into the SNP’s hands, says Michael Forsyth
- Scottish independence: Spectre of border controls raised by top Tory
- David Cameron is playing into the SNP’s hands, says Michael Forsyth
- Scottish independence: Alex Salmond hits back at Tory ‘Bourbons’ in battle over devo-max
- Scottish independence: Anti-Scottish jibes boost separation, Michael Gove warns Right
- The Rumour Mill: Monday’s football news and gossip
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Weather for Edinburgh
Thursday 23 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 31 mph
Wind direction: West
