government Archives - Mouthy Money https://s17207.pcdn.co/tag/government/ Build wealth Thu, 27 Mar 2025 09:10:30 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://s17207.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/cropped-Mouthy-Money-NEW-LOGO-square-2-32x32.png government Archives - Mouthy Money https://s17207.pcdn.co/tag/government/ 32 32 Spring Statement 2025: Rachel Reeves’s key announcements https://s17207.pcdn.co/investing/spring-statement-2025-rachel-reeves-key-announcements/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=spring-statement-2025-rachel-reeves-key-announcements https://s17207.pcdn.co/investing/spring-statement-2025-rachel-reeves-key-announcements/#respond Thu, 27 Mar 2025 09:10:19 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=10693 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered the Government’s Spring Statement, providing a troubling economic update and outlining fiscal adjustments.  This was not a full Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves reiterated her commitment to one major fiscal event annually, but it included significant policy shifts affecting public finances, welfare, and defence.  Rachel Reeves has ruled out tax rises…

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered the Government’s Spring Statement, providing a troubling economic update and outlining fiscal adjustments. 
Rachel Reeves leaves Number 11 Downing Street to deliver her Spring Statement


This was not a full Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves reiterated her commitment to one major fiscal event annually, but it included significant policy shifts affecting public finances, welfare, and defence. 

Rachel Reeves has ruled out tax rises for now, but a number of tweaks and buried items in the Government’s documents suggest more could be on the horizon.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the key points and their implications for UK households and taxpayers.

Rachel Reeves downbeat economy

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revised its 2025 GDP growth forecast from 2% to 1%, citing global trade tensions, including new 25% US tariffs on cars and parts, and a slower domestic recovery. 

Inflation is projected at 2.8% in 2025, with the Bank of England maintaining interest rates at 4.5%. Longer-term forecasts show slight improvement, with growth rising to 1.9% in 2026 and averaging 1.7-1.8% through 2029. 

The OBR estimates real household disposable income could increase by £500 annually by 2029-30, compared to the previous government’s final Budget, assuming tax thresholds are adjusted.

Public sector net borrowing is expected to fall from £112 billion in 2025-26 to £58 billion by 2029-30, reflecting tighter fiscal control. 

However, the OBR notes this trajectory leaves limited room for economic shocks, with debt peaking at 96.8% of GDP in 2027-28 before declining slightly.

Fiscal discipline 

Rachel Reeves adhered to her fiscal rules: balancing day-to-day spending with revenue and managing debt levels. 

Without adjustments, the budget would have faced a £4.1 billion deficit by 2027-28. Instead, measures secure a £6 billion surplus in 2027-28, rising to £9.9 billion by 2029-30. 

This ‘headroom’ is narrow, with the OBR warning it could vanish if growth falters further or external pressures mount.

Welfare cuts

Welfare spending faced significant reductions. From April 2026, new claimants of health-related Universal Credit will receive £50 weekly instead of £97, with payments frozen until 2030. Under-22s will be ineligible for this element. 

Existing claimants retain £97 weekly until 2030, though a severe conditions top-up is planned. 

The standard Universal Credit allowance will rise from £92 to £106 weekly by 2029-30, a £14 increase over five years. These changes are projected to reduce welfare spending by £3.2 billion annually by 2029-30. 

Analysis suggests three million households could lose £1,720 yearly on average, pushing 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty. 

Reeves allocated £1 billion for employment support, aiming to offset cuts by boosting workforce participation.

Rachel Reeves leaves taxes unchanged, for now

No new tax rises were announced, aligning with Reeves’ pledge to avoid mid-year hikes. 

However, measures from the Autumn Budget persist: employer National Insurance rises from 13.8% to 15% in April 2025, and personal tax thresholds remain frozen until 2028-29. 

This fiscal drag will increase the tax burden, with revenue projected at 37.7% of GDP by 2029-30, a post-war high. 

Late payment penalties for self-assessment tax will double to 10% from April 2026, raising an estimated £200 million annually.

In the follow up documents from the Government on the Spring Statement, the Government confirmed it was making rules around late filing of self assessment tax returns harsher, with bigger penalties for late filing.

It also announced that parents who face paying the High Income Child Benefit Charge will no longer have to file a self assessment but instead will be able to use a digital service that repays their child benefit through PAYE. 

Finally, the Government announced it is looking at reforms to the ISA allowance and whether it can be better used to promote private investors and UK growth.

Ask our experts your money questions

Household impact

For households, the Spring Statement offers little immediate relief. Mortgage holders face sustained pressure with interest rates at 4.5% and renters see no respite from rising costs as welfare support tightens. 

The £500 projected rise in disposable income by 2029-30 hinges on future growth and tax adjustments, offering a distant prospect rather than immediate help. 

Low-income families, particularly those on benefits, will feel the welfare cuts most acutely, with the Resolution Foundation estimating a 2% drop in real income for the poorest fifth of households by 2027.

The 2025 Spring Statement prioritises fiscal stability over bold intervention, trimming welfare and boosting defence while holding the tax line. 

For UK households, it’s a lean outlook. Slower growth, tighter benefits and no quick fixes. 

Reeves is betting on long-term discipline paying off, but with global risks looming, the margin for error is slim.

Photo courtesy of HM Treasury Flickr

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The Budget psychodrama is at its worst ever https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/the-budget-psychodrama-is-at-its-worst-ever/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-budget-psychodrama-is-at-its-worst-ever https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/the-budget-psychodrama-is-at-its-worst-ever/#respond Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:14:42 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=10423 Mouthy Money editor Edmund Greaves looks at how speculation around the Budget is reaching “psychodramatic” proportions. It’s pretty hard to avoid Budget speculation at the moment. It is a momentous occasion we’re told. This is hard to argue. It’s a new government with difficult choices to make, and a wafer-thin balancing act to carry out.…

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Mouthy Money editor Edmund Greaves looks at how speculation around the Budget is reaching “psychodramatic” proportions.

It’s pretty hard to avoid Budget speculation at the moment. It is a momentous occasion we’re told.

This is hard to argue. It’s a new government with difficult choices to make, and a wafer-thin balancing act to carry out. I don’t envy Rachel Reeves her job.

It is true to say that this isn’t unusual. The Budget is a significant moment for any Government and engenders enormous amounts of speculation from the media, and any and every vested interest you can think of.

But the way in which wild speculation about what is and isn’t coming has now reached feverish, and potentially dangerous levels – especially if people start making dramatic decisions with their finances as a result.

Labour backs against the wall

Labour has backed itself into a bit of a corner over tax rises, with the three main revenue earners (income tax, national insurance and VAT) all ruled out for rises in the party’s manifesto.

This leaves Rachel Reeves with the option to make a series of esoteric tax changes that either need quite a lot of explaining or are downright Kafkaesque.

This has led to weeks on weeks of speculation and policy idea floating in the media, which is at best enormously unhelpful, and at worst downright destructive when it causes people to start making rash decisions.

When you target the weird taxes, you get the weird outcomes. The ‘window tax’ is the most famous historic example of this.

Part of the issue with how the psychodrama mounts comes down to the way in which our parliamentary democracy works.

The Budget is an historic tradition, with the first mention of the term dating back to 1733.  It is presented by the Chancellor to Parliament. This in and of itself is ‘normal’ in the sense of a democratic process where legislation is presented to MPs who then debate on it etc.

However, setting a date long in advance creates a whole cycle of speculation in the run up, and indeed a whole round of unpicking, and ultimately trashing, of decisions once they’re announced.

But don’t bother surprising everyone with a Budget either, because you’ll get what happened to Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng – absolute paroxysms that lead to total meltdown of nearly the whole thing.

A voracious 24/7 live and digital news media means every aspect of it is now painstakingly analysed, criticised and commented on. Pundits have very little at stake personally, but create enough of a stink and you’ll kill an idea – no matter if it was a good one or not.

Every idea is shouted at by one group or another with: “You can’t do that! You’ll make x group worse off!” or “You’ll push Y group to flee the country” and “how can you target Z group don’t you know”…etc etc.

It leaves the Government reeling, policies disappearing as fast as they arrived, and all-round uncertainty. With a change of government for the first time since 2010, it feels even more psychodramatic than usual.

Anecdotally (mostly emanating from the advice sector) people have already begun making changes to their finances to try and swerve tax changes that haven’t even be confirmed as happening yet.

More from Edmund Greaves

Ministry of Tough Choices

Fiscal discourse is at all-time highs of pearl-clutching. This is because it is so easy to take an idea one suggested and profess utter dismay at it.

The only time in my career I can remember it being this toxic was the bad days of Brexit, although as a financial journalist I escaped some of the worst of it compared to those on the politics beat.

And to be sure, some of the ideas I’ve seen have…at the very least…raised my eyebrows.

But we’re in an era of reaping, not sowing. Debt is at painful highs. People have had their living standards crushed. Wealth inequality is everywhere. Enormous inefficiencies, unintended consequences and downright perversities pervade all the way through how taxes work in our country.

Unless we really grasp the nettle and make hard choices, we’re going to create an even more febrile situation next time, and the next time, until eventually our politics will reach a breaking point.

We have real-world examples of how this plays out. Look to the example of Argentina, which got itself into such a big economic pickle it went for broke and elected a Libertarian who sits totally outside the old Peronista consensus – the literal chainsaw wielding new President, Javier Milei.

A man who has named his dogs after free market economists, and has a self-professed desire to root out all the ‘parasites’ of the state. His rhetoric is as shocking as it is popular, precisely because the Argentine state had ceased to function, or control the economy (mainly with runaway inflation) in any meaningful sense.

In fairness to Labour and Reeves, they have already opted to make the winter fuel payment for pensioners means tested – a policy which has been deemed politically toxic, despite the fact pensioners are more likely to be millionaires than live in poverty. Perhaps Labour has indeed decided to launch a Ministry of Tough Choices and stick with it.

Unless we deal with the those tough choices now, and the media howling that this evinces, then we’ll just get our own Milei ultimately instead. That may or may not be a bad thing, but it will certainly not decrease the psychodrama, which I know we’re all quite done with already thank you very much.

Photo credits:  HM Treasury Flickr 

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Must know money: Inheritance tax abolition will save richest £1m https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/must-know-money-inheritance-tax-abolition-will-save-richest-1m/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=must-know-money-inheritance-tax-abolition-will-save-richest-1m https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/must-know-money-inheritance-tax-abolition-will-save-richest-1m/#respond Wed, 27 Sep 2023 08:28:17 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=9437 Plans from the Government to abolish inheritance tax will save the wealthiest 1% around £1 million each according to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Must know money focuses on the financial news you need to know. Here’s what scrapping inheritance tax (IHT) would mean for the richest people in Britain. The wealthiest…

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Plans from the Government to abolish inheritance tax will save the wealthiest 1% around £1 million each according to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.


Must know money focuses on the financial news you need to know. Here’s what scrapping inheritance tax (IHT) would mean for the richest people in Britain.

The wealthiest estates in Britain stand to gain around £1 million in tax savings if the Government abolishes inheritance tax, a new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found.

The report comes on the back of the news over the weekend that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering abolishing inheritance tax ahead of the next general election, due in December 2024 at the lastest.

However one of the report’s author David Sturrock points out that one in eight people in the UK will end up liable to pay the so-called ‘death duty’ when they or their partner dies by the tax year 2032-33.

Inheritance tax earns £7 billion for the UK Treasury each year currently and this is set to rise to £15 billion by 2032-33. Less than 4% of estates pay the duty.

Why abolish inheritance tax?

Inheritance tax is designed to take cut from people’s wealth when they die. At the moment through various bands and exemptions, for a married couple there is unlikely to be any tax obligation on wealth under £1 million, assuming their own home is factored into that wealth.

Inheritance tax is seen as ‘progressive’ politically as mainly affects the wealthier in society. But this has led to a major financial advice industry dedicated to avoiding paying.

People use advisers to ‘mitigate’ their liabilities and tweak the structure of their wealth to minimise how big the tax bill ultimately is.

Despite this, inheritance tax is widely considered the ‘most hated tax’ in Britain. the public routinely poll unfavourably toward the tax, no matter the understanding of who it impacts.

One of the biggest criticisms of the tax, aside from the cost, is that it targets families when they are grieving the loss of a loved one.

Another major gripe is the perceived unfairness of taxing hard-earned wealth that has already been subject to a myriad of other taxes such as income, dividend, capital gains, or stamp duty, over the holder’s lifetime.

Photo by Ron Lach

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Must-know money: state pension set to soar to £11,501 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/must-know-money-state-pension-set-to-soar-to-11501/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=must-know-money-state-pension-set-to-soar-to-11501 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/must-know-money-state-pension-set-to-soar-to-11501/#respond Tue, 12 Sep 2023 09:00:36 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=9356 The state pension is set to soar to over £11,500 a year thanks to bumper wage growth in September – which dictates the level of the triple lock guarantee The state pension will rise to around £11,501 a year next April thanks to record wage growth. Pensioners are in line for another bumper increase thanks…

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The state pension is set to soar to over £11,500 a year thanks to bumper wage growth in September – which dictates the level of the triple lock guarantee


The state pension will rise to around £11,501 a year next April thanks to record wage growth.

Pensioners are in line for another bumper increase thanks to the triple lock guarantee which dictates that the state pension should increase each year by the equivalent of inflation, wages or 2.5% – depending on which is highest.

The latest wage data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed wages were rising by 8.5% including bonuses in the three months to July.

Steven Cameron, pensions director at Aegon comments: “Today’s official earnings growth figures mean state pensioners are on target for an inflation-busting 8.5% increase next April.

“With any breaking of the triple lock commitment vanishingly unlikely so close to a General Election, this should mean someone on the full new state pension of £10,600 a year will see their income increase by £901 to £11,501 or £221.17 a week. The government typically gives official confirmation around November.”

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As this is higher than the current rate of inflation then retirees will enjoy another bumper raise to their state pension benefit. It means the government will have to find an extra £2 billion to make the payments.

In 2022 pensioners got a 10.1% uplift thanks to rocketing inflation. The bumper rises in the state pension have increased criticism over the fairness of the triple lock, particularly in 2022 when working age people weren’t seeing such generous pay rises.

Cameron adds: “The triple lock has been on a wild ride in recent years due to the high level of volatility in the economy and the unpredictability of both inflation and earnings growth.

“Looking ahead, all eyes will be on party manifestos to see what commitments are made for the next five years, something Rishi Sunak refused to comment on last weekend.

“The huge popularity of the triple lock amongst pensioners is balanced by the huge cost of funding it, which is met by the current National Insurance contributions of today’s workers.

“All parties must find a way to balance the books. One fairer and less unpredictable option would be to move away from a year-on-year comparison of earnings, inflation and 2.5% to one which averages out across say three years.”

However the 8.5% hike is not guaranteed according to Cameron. The annual increase is typically taken from September data but the government has to confirm it officially still, which usually happens in November.

Photo by Anna Shvets

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What is the tax-free childcare scheme?  https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/what-is-the-tax-free-childcare-scheme/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-is-the-tax-free-childcare-scheme https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/what-is-the-tax-free-childcare-scheme/#respond Wed, 05 Jul 2023 08:54:32 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=9025 Finance Dee gets to grips with tax-free childcare, how it works, and who can benefit from the Government scheme For parents in the UK, childcare is often one of those inevitable but dreaded costs. Thankfully, there is some help available to many families in the UK to help with the expense. Tax-free childcare is a…

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Finance Dee gets to grips with tax-free childcare, how it works, and who can benefit from the Government scheme
tax-free childcare system

For parents in the UK, childcare is often one of those inevitable but dreaded costs. Thankfully, there is some help available to many families in the UK to help with the expense.

Tax-free childcare is a Government scheme which replaced the former childcare voucher scheme, and is open to working parents of children 11 and under (or 17 and under for disabled children). 

How much could I get? 

The Government contributes 20% of childcare costs, capped at a maximum of £500 every three months or £2,000 per year, for each child. In other words, for every £8 you put into the tax-free childcare account, the government will top it up with £2 until the cap is reached. 

For children with a disability, this goes up to £1,000 every three months, up to a maximum of £4,000 a year. 

Am I eligible? 

There are a number of criteria to assess eligibility listed on the Government website. At a quick glance, to be eligible you must:  

  • Be a British or Irish citizen, or have settled or pre-settled status 
  • Be in employment (including self-employment) 
  • Over a three month period, earn at least: 
  • £1,098 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice 
  • £1,557 if you’re aged 18 to 20 
  • £2,117 if you’re aged 21 or 22 
  • £2,167 if you’re aged 23 or over 
  • Not be receiving working tax credit, child tax credit, universal credit, or using childcare vouchers from the previous scheme 

How do I access the funds? 

Via the Government website, you will first need to have or create a government gateway account, which will then allow you to open a childcare account. To open the childcare account, you will be asked a number of questions about yourself to verify your identity and assess your eligibility, including your national insurance number and employment status.

You will also be asked about your partner (if applicable), and information about the child or children you’re applying for will need to be provided. It is good to have all information to hand before starting the process as it does eventually time-out for security reasons. 

Once you have completed the application, you will be notified when your account is ready for use, assuming you are eligible. Please note, if you apply for tax-free childcare whilst on maternity, paternity or parental leave, you can only start using the account in the last 31 days of your leave. 

Do all childcare facilities accept this payment? 

Funding can be used for any approved childcare facility, which can include: 

  • A registered childminder, nanny, play scheme, nursery or club 
  • A registered school 
  • Or a home care worker working for a registered home care agency 

Once your tax-free childcare account is opened, you will be able to check whether your preferred childcare provider accepts funding via this scheme. Alternatively, you can simply ask the provider ahead of time which type of funding they do or do not accept. 

Photo Credits: Pexels

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NO INTEREST: Jeremy Hunt should act now to reward savers https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/no-interest-jeremy-hunt-should-act-now-to-reward-savers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=no-interest-jeremy-hunt-should-act-now-to-reward-savers https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/no-interest-jeremy-hunt-should-act-now-to-reward-savers/#respond Wed, 28 Jun 2023 09:34:30 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=9078 Savers will continue to get a raw deal until the Government implements measures to ensure rate hikes are passed on straight away, says Mouthy Money co-editor Edmund Greaves Chancellor Jeremy Hunt sat down with big banks last week to hash out a new ‘mortgage charter’ deal to protect homeowners with loans from soaring rate hikes.…

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Savers will continue to get a raw deal until the Government implements measures to ensure rate hikes are passed on straight away, says Mouthy Money co-editor Edmund Greaves

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt sat down with big banks last week to hash out a new ‘mortgage charter’ deal to protect homeowners with loans from soaring rate hikes.

Hunt has pledged to take action on savings rates too, and it is now widely recognised that High Street banks simply aren’t passing on rates quickly enough.

While it would be easy for Mouthy Money to claim a victory of sorts after our vocal campaign on this issue, we don’t believe the solution has yet been found.

It is now essential that the Government either legislate or use other binding methods to coerce the savings sector into accepting that firms MUST pass on rates as soon as the changes feed through from the Bank of England, in the same way that already happens for mortgages and other debt product such as credit cards.

Setting a rule, for example, that prevents banks from increasing debt product rates unless they also increase their savings rates, would be a good start.

This must happen as soon as possible to protect the economy from the ravages of inflation.

At the core of this is rewarding savers for not spending their cash. While the mortgage market is large, not everyone has access to it. But everyone is a potential saver, given enough incentive from their savings interest rate on offer.

If, as a country, we truly want to tackle the bane of inflation then the Government must act now to stop savers from the raw deal they have been given for so long.

Instead of simply punishing debt holders, we must collectively reward those who wish to save for the long term. Not only will this help the battle against inflation, but it might also encourage a new generation of savers, which in and of itself could be the solution to some of the UK’s longest-term financial woes.

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What are premium bonds?  https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/investing/what-are-premium-bonds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-are-premium-bonds https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/investing/what-are-premium-bonds/#respond Tue, 27 Jun 2023 09:03:31 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=9027 Finance Dee digs into premium bonds and how they might help you earn more money from your savings Premium bonds are a type of savings product issued by National Savings & Investments (NS&I) which is backed by the UK Treasury. You can save a minimum of £25 up to a maximum of £50,000 in premium…

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Finance Dee digs into premium bonds and how they might help you earn more money from your savings
What are premium bonds and how do they work

Premium bonds are a type of savings product issued by National Savings & Investments (NS&I) which is backed by the UK Treasury.

You can save a minimum of £25 up to a maximum of £50,000 in premium bonds. 

How do premium bonds work? 

Premium bonds are similar to a lottery system, whereby for every £1 put into premium bonds, it buys an individual bond which has a unique number/identifier.  

Every month, each unique premium bond number is put into an Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment (ERNIE), which randomly selects winners of multiple prizes and amounts, ranging from £25 to the largest cash prize of £1,000,000 for two lucky winners each month. But as there are millions upon millions of premium bonds, the vast majority of people do not win cash prizes on a monthly basis. 

As stated on the NS&I website, the odds of winning for every £1 held in premium bonds is 1 in 24,000 (current as of June 2023). However, the annual prize fund rate is currently around 3.70% and therefore somewhat comparable to what some better-value savings accounts are offering at the moment.

Inevitably, those who hold larger sums of premium bonds have higher odds of winning a cash prize more frequently than those with a smaller sum of bonds, but at the end of the day it really is a mixture of probabilities and the luck of the draw. 

Premium bond winnings are completely tax-free, and any money within the account (deposited or winnings) can be withdrawn at any time without penalty. The website provides a handy payment timeline calculator which tells you how long it will take for withdrawn funds to hit your account.  

How do I get started? 

To get started, you will simply need to sign up for an account and have a minimum of £25 to deposit. You will need to have to hand your verifiable information similar to if you were opening a savings account at a mainstream bank.  

Are premium bonds worth it? 

Premium bonds may be a good saving product for those who wish to save between £25 – £50,000, and like the idea of winning tax-free prizes.

For anyone wishing to save for their child or gift another child under the age of 16, it is a great option as the child’s savings will be under the parent/guardians names until the age of 16 at which point it would be transferred into the child’s name. 

On the contrary, premium bonds are not ideal for those who are wishing to save jointly with someone else as premium bond accounts cannot be shared. Also, bonds may not be a good option for those who require a monthly income, or who those who need guaranteed returns.

However, the NS&I do have guaranteed income bonds available for those who are happy to keep their savings locked away for a fixed period of time. 

Photo Credits: Pexels

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Everything you need to know about the BBC TV Licence freeze https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/budgeting/how-will-the-bbc-licence-freeze-affect-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-will-the-bbc-licence-freeze-affect-me https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/budgeting/how-will-the-bbc-licence-freeze-affect-me/#respond Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:35:57 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=7833 How will the BBC TV Licence freeze affect you? Find out in our latest blog post which tells you everything you need to know about the broadcasting fee freeze. Licence fee payers will enjoy a TV Licence freeze on the price they pay for the next two year. The Government says it is part of…

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TV licence freeze

How will the BBC TV Licence freeze affect you? Find out in our latest blog post which tells you everything you need to know about the broadcasting fee freeze.

Licence fee payers will enjoy a TV Licence freeze on the price they pay for the next two year.

The Government says it is part of a package of measures to reduce the financial strain on households dealing with rising prices.

The current licence fee is set at £159 per year. The Government will freeze funding for the BBC for two years and is also looking to start a debate over whether the BBC should continue to be funded by a licence or be abolished completely in 2027.

Currently the BBC earns about three quarters of its income from the licence fee, and around a quarter from selling its programs around the world.

The TV Licence freeze – what will happen next?

The BBC could have to negotiate an entirely new funding model with the government when the licence fee funding deal expires in 2027.

This would mean households with live TV services would no longer be liable to the £159 a year levy, which has been widely criticized as it imposes higher relative costs on poorer families.

The BBC also took the controversial decision in removing the exemption for the over-75s, but this was delayed thanks to events during the pandemic.

Potential future alternative funding options include a subscription service, introducing a broadband levy, or direct government funding.

Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC says: “We need to reshape ourselves for a digital age”.

“The media market is moving extremely rapidly, I’m excited about re-engineering the BBC. I think we’re in a good place.

“We had an excellent Christmas, iPlayer is doing brilliant business for us in terms of the numbers we’re getting through to our digital services.

“So we’re not just going to put aspic around linear services or say we’re going to keep doing exactly the same thing. We need to reshape the business.”

How much does the BBC licence cost now?

The cost of an annual licence, required to watch live television and access iPlayer services, will remain at £159 (£13.25 per month) until 2024 before potentially rising for the following three years, depending on what the Government decide.

What other alternatives are there to the licence fee and the TV Licence freeze?

The licence fee pays for a wide range of BBC services including TV, radio, the BBC website, podcasts, iPlayer and apps.

However, if you don’t regularly watch the BBC live on TV, then you can pay a voluntary subscription fee for apps such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime.

You don’t have to pay the licence fee, but if you opt out then you must not use your V to watch live channels, or use the BBC’s digital services such as iPlayer.

Will the BBC have a subscription-based membership?

Discussions are still ongoing, but as far as we know:

– The BBC could also follow in the footsteps of ITV and Channel 4 and start hosting advertisements.

– The Government could support the BBC financially through an annual grant.

– A combined approach could be a solution too – funding from a licence fee, plus a Netflix-style subscription service could fund BBC’s big budget dramas.

Photo by Compare Fibre on Unsplash

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Thousands of retirees caught out: how to find out if you’ve missed £8,900 in state pension https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/over-134000-pensioners-owed-thousands-of-pounds-in-state-pension-entitlement/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=over-134000-pensioners-owed-thousands-of-pounds-in-state-pension-entitlement https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/over-134000-pensioners-owed-thousands-of-pounds-in-state-pension-entitlement/#respond Wed, 22 Sep 2021 11:38:15 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=7485 Hundreds of thousands of retirees have been underpaid in their state pensions, with women pensioners likely to be most affected. The National Audit Office has found the UK government underpaid 134,000 pensioners over £1 billion in state pension entitlement. David Linden MP, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson, comments: “This billion-pound blunder is just the latest…

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Hundreds of thousands of retirees have been underpaid in their state pensions, with women pensioners likely to be most affected.

The National Audit Office has found the UK government underpaid 134,000 pensioners over £1 billion in state pension entitlement.

David Linden MP, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson, comments: “This billion-pound blunder is just the latest in a long line of failings from the DWP, with pensioners being left to pick up the pieces of a broken system.”

What does this mean for your state pension?

Each pensioner affected by this mistake missed out on an average of £8,900, and women were likely to be most affected.

Helen Morrissey, senior pensions and retirement analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown explains: “A combination of manual error and a complex system means thousands of women have missed out on payments that could have made a real difference to their standard of living in retirement.”

Some 3.8 million women born in the 1950s had their state pension age changed by the UK government to align with those of men.

“Many of these women had no idea that they were even entitled to a higher pension and so did not ask about it and while the DWP has begun making repayments it is likely going to take some time before all those affected have been identified,” Morrissey added.

The UK has the lowest state pension in Europe. The full new state pension is £179.60 per week, but the actual amount you get depends on your National Insurance record.

UK pensioners currently receive just 28% of the average working wage when they retire – whereas in contrast, pensioners in Luxembourg and Austria receive 90% of the average working wage.

How to check your state pension

Do you think you’ve received less state pension than the government owes you? The best course of action is to check your state pension.

The amount is based on your National Insurance record when you reach state pension age, which is 66 for men and women.

There are a few ways in which you can check the amount you’re owed:

Anyone who believes they might be affected should contact the Department for Work and Pensions.

Photo by Matthew Bennett on Unsplash

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Furlough life part 1: the solicitor given a four month break from the law https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/furlough-life-part-1-the-solicitor-given-a-four-month-break-from-the-law/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=furlough-life-part-1-the-solicitor-given-a-four-month-break-from-the-law https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/pensions/furlough-life-part-1-the-solicitor-given-a-four-month-break-from-the-law/#respond Tue, 06 Oct 2020 13:45:26 +0000 https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/?p=6983 Mouthy Money talks to a lawyer put on furlough for four months about his experiences and hopes for the future of his business At the peak of the furlough scheme as many as one in three workers in the UK was placed on the program by their employer. In a series of three articles, we…

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Mouthy Money talks to a lawyer put on furlough for four months about his experiences and hopes for the future of his business

At the peak of the furlough scheme as many as one in three workers in the UK was placed on the program by their employer.

In a series of three articles, we talk under condition of anonymity to three people who have been through furlough about their experiences, what the future holds for them now the scheme is coming to an end, and how their employers and industries have been coping.

Coming from the worlds of law, theatre and product design, they each have different experiences, anxieties over their employment and concerns about the future.

In the first of the series, we speak to a solicitor at a top 50 UK law firm about their time on furlough. Alex Maitland*, a solicitor was placed on the scheme because of the physical limitations on doing legal business during the lockdown, not because of a collapse in the need for lawyers.

Solicitor at a top 50 UK law firm – furloughed for 4 months

How was the communication with your employer when you were put on furlough?

The firm was very good in discussing its decision to furlough staff with all of us. None of it was a shock or a decision that came out of the blue, we were all kept informed of the process.

The firm made it clear it did not want to start furloughing anybody, but because of the strict measures the government were putting in place there was a significant slowdown in business activity.

We had discussions with the head of our team, regular updates from the management board on the firm’s thinking throughout – they were very proactive at keeping us informed.

This meant when work picked up, there were no great surprises or a sudden need to re-employ people who had completely no idea what was happening at the firm.

What was your experience of being on furlough?

I was a little bit surreal. When it starts, you feel like you’re any on other holiday and it seemed pretty normal, but then after a while it suddenly dawns on you there was potentially no real way of knowing if and when you’d return to work.

Unlike a traditional holiday where you would be abroad or doing an activity, it was just a repetitive program of waking up, cooking, running, playing games, then going to bed.

It felt like it couldn’t have any period of time away, as suddenly everything could go back as normal but I wasn’t anticipating being off for quite such a long time when I when I first started.

How was your money affected by being on furlough?

I was never financially struggling because of it. The months were a bit tighter, but I wasn’t going into the red. One change I made was pausing my mortgage during the period but obviously I am now paying a bit more than I was each month.

I did have a regular credit card debit that I had budgeted for, which I had to delay as my salary was down. And as the football wasn’t on, I cancelled my season ticket which save me a bit of money!

Were you ever uncertain about going back?

The firm were very good at reassuring us that because this wasn’t an ‘economic crisis’ that had taken out our clients, and the business wasn’t in danger. Rather it was because of physical limitations of doing business implemented by the government.

So, senior management weren’t anticipating making redundancies because as soon as things did pick up, then they’d need everyone back doing their jobs. I felt pretty secure and very fortunate in that regard.

How does the future look for your industry and organisation?

With current social distancing guidance it’s impossible to have everybody in the office, or even the majority of people in the office at any one time. It also means only needing a limited amount of face-to-face contact with clients as well.

Working from home is obviously a lot more significant than it was before the crisis and it will continue to be. A big part of being at a law firm is learning on the job. I feel working from home will impact the way trainees are able to learn through observance the work and how the firm functions.

This could potentially impact the speed at which more junior members of the firm develop which will have implications in the future for all businesses that rely on in-the-job training like this.

If you too have been furloughed or subject to any other government schemes to protect your income or job against the coronavirus crisis, get in touch! Please email editors@mouthymoney.co.uk because we’d like to hear and possible share your story too.

*Pseudonym.

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