Search

Spanish tax authorities are targeting overseas property owners as part of a wider clampdown on tax dodgers - a strategy that raked in an extra ?1bn last year. More than [...]

THERE are some sensational deals around at the moment for people thinking of remortgaging - but the best carry a sting in the tail in the form of hefty fees. [...]

WHEN developers start beefing up incentives to buy-to-let property buyers - as they are at the moment - you have to suspect demand for rental properties is weakening. And, going [...]

NEIL and Susan Carter from the BBC Radio 4 serial The Archers are starting to rue the day they decided to sell their former council house and build their dream [...]

OZZY OSBOURNE'S language will be even bluer than usual this week as he thinks through the insurance implications of his pounds 2m jewellery robbery. Despite his brave attempts to foil [...]

A POPULAR way to reduce inheritance tax will be dealt a severe blow tomorrow when Stamp Duty Land Tax replaces the existing stamp duty regime. Accountants and solicitors have been [...]

HOUSEHOLDERS lose pounds 1.5bn a year through bodged work by cowboy builders. But a Government scheme aimed at improving the situation may be scuppered by the public's desire for rock-bottom [...]

NEGATIVE equity is back. Andrew Oswald, Warwick University's economics professor, warns of a 30 per cent fall in house prices this year. But buy-to-let investors are still pouring into the [...]

WOULD you describe an 'end-of-week' race organised by ski schools for novice skiers as (a) a bit of harmless fun, or (b) as reckless as taking part in skiing championships? [...]

WHEN Stewart Noble needs a hair cut, he could visit the local barber and pay pounds 5. But he prefers to get a friend to do the job because then [...]

The Treasury last week denied press reports that parents will be able to claim tax relief worth up to pounds 140 a week to help pay for nannies from next [...]

Ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties are set to kick off the winter party season next week, closely followed by Guy Fawkes and then, after a short rest, Christmas and [...]

With tragically poor timing, Strutt & Parker, the estate agent, is next week selling a batch of baronies and lordships of the manor. This comes hard on the heels of [...]

British households are spending more on security precautions than ever before, on locks, bolts, security grills, alarms, sensors and security lights. Although security can be expensive, this investment can boost [...]

There are two types of household insurance: contents and buildings cover. It is sometimes cheaper to buy them in a combined package - but not always. BUILDINGS INSURANCE This provides [...]

Vets' bills are whizzing up at the rate of 11 per cent a year as medical advances increase the types and complexity of treatment and drugs available to sick and [...]

O n a packed flight to the Mediterranean casual chat with fellow passengers is bound to reveal that Mr and Mrs Shop-Around have paid much less for their tickets than [...]

Financial considerations now top the agenda for many students when selecting a university. School-leavers - and their parents - carefully weigh projected debts against the probability of increased earning power [...]

Buying a house before it is built can be a risky business. The vision conjured up in your imagination can look disappointingly different when it is finished. It may not [...]

Thousands of people taking autumn and winter breaks in country cottages will, at some point during the holiday, be heard to say: 'Why don't we buy one of these? It [...]

People who buy property to let out could be missing out by following the herd. Most first-time landlords buy flats in city centres, and the majority have done well out [...]

In the beginning there were estate agents. Then came the property finders, who helped buyers find their perfect property. And now we have the latest entrant to the market: the [...]

Geraint Davies, a member of the House of Commons public accounts committee, wants tighter controls of the privatised utilities. He plans to raise the issue with Peter Hain, the minister [...]

Stories about buy-to-let landlords who have made a fortune buying property on borrowed money can make the rest of us feel sick with envy. We want to make money, but [...]

It can cost tens of thousands of pounds to move home, especially if you live in a large house with masses of valuables. Even moving to and from an ordinary [...]

Tradition has it that everyone starts planning their summer holiday the moment the Christmas turkey carcass hits the rubbish bin. But would think until you have chosen a holiday, there [...]

The 250 intrepid people battling against the elements in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the second leg of the Clipper 2000 Round the World Yacht Race today are [...]

Share prices are volatile, corporate bonds are looking dodgy, the property market appears to have stalled and money in savings accounts gets eaten away by inflation. So what is the [...]

Retailer B&Q increased its profits by 18% when it employed older people yet Barclays is planning to allow some of its staff to retire at 45. People are increasingly at risk of being made redundant or being pensioned off once they reach the age of 50, the proportion of men aged 55-65 in employment having fallen from 95% in 1979 to around 60% in 1999. Age discrimination not only wastes the talents of a large part of the population, as employment minister Andrew Smith points out, but the employer's forum on age estimates that it costs the economy 5.5 billion pounds sterling/yr.

The two doctors, two nurses, psychotherapist, practice manager and two receptionists at the Hoxton Health Collective in east London, England, all receive exactly the same salary, their philosophy being that their work is of equal importance. Co-founder of the collective Dr Paddy McCarthy feels that his salary of 10 pounds sterling/hr. is reasonable, arguing that there is no reason why he should earn much more than other people who may be better at dealing with certain tasks than he is. Every member of the collective takes equal responsibility and patients are encouraged to read their own notes.