VAT hikes can raise tax without hurting the poor: an economist sets out the evidence: South Africa’s 2025-6 budget has been subjected to more comment than usual. This is due to the political tensions generated by a proposed increase in value added tax (VAT). South Africa’s choices on how it manages the revenue and expenditure …
Interest rates have stopped rising, but 2023 hikes could still cause recession for some economies: Central banks in the US, UK and Europe have been trying to slow inflation without creating a recession. eamesBot/Shutterstock Central banks on both sides of the Atlantic kept their main interest rates unchanged for the fourth successive month in December …
How the Bank of England’s interest rate hikes are filtering through to your finances: The Bank of England, London. Claudio Divizia/Shutterstock The Bank of England has increased interest rates to 5.25%, a level not seen since April 2008 and markedly higher than the all-time lows of 0.1% seen less than two years ago. In fact, …
Interest rate hikes are not the only tool to fight UK inflation – here’s what the government should do: Over the past year, interest rates have been rising rapidly around the world. The post-COVID economic recovery and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused inflation to reach 10% or more in many countries. Central banks in the …
Why the Bank of England’s interest rate hikes aren’t slowing inflation enough and what that means for mortgages: Consumer price inflation stuck at 8.7% in May, defying expectations of a slowdown and making a further rise in UK interest rates inevitable. The May figures came out the day before the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy …
Is your fixed broadband bill about to go up? How to protect yourself from inflation-busting rate hikes: astarot / Shutterstock Inflation has caused the sharpest rise in food prices in the UK in 40 years, the latest official figures show. But it’s not just food costs that are soaring – or energy prices, for that …
Enforcing competition would ease food price hikes in east and southern Africa: A woman selling produce at the Manzini Wholesale Produce and Craft Market in Swaziland. Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Small and medium-scale farmers and agri-businesses in east and southern Africa are getting a raw deal. To succeed they need fair and …
Businesses are being hit by tax hikes and higher energy costs – and it will mostly hurt poorer people: Wages and consumer goods are in the firing line. Etienne Giradet/Unsplash, CC BY-SA In the UK, much attention has been paid to the fact that employees’ national insurance (NI) contributions have increased from April 6 – …
What explains food price hikes in Kenya. And what should be done: Kenyan food vendors at an open-air market on the outskirts of Nairobi. Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images Kenyans are caught in the grip of higher food prices brought about by a combination of adverse weather, rising input costs – which have been worsened …
South Africa in the news: News24.com | Eskom’s biggest union may seek pay hikes of up to 10%: The biggest union at South Africa’s loss-making power utility is considering demanding pay increases of as much as 10% ahead of negotiations …: “South Africa” – BingNews Ashley Chesters in the hunt for a big prize after …
Olive trees, markets and hikes: how the Palestinian West Bank welcomes tourists at Christmas: Manger Square with Bethlehem Peace Centre and Christmas tree, December 2019. Dorina Buda, Author provided There are often marches and demonstrations in support of Palestine in cities around the world, but for those who want to visit the region, a thriving …
Food price hikes of £2 billion due to extreme weather are completely avoidable – here’s how: Know your onions. Anguskirk, CC BY-SA Extreme hot and cold weather in the UK will have driven up average household food prices by £45m a week in 2018, according to recent research from the Centre for Economic and Business Research. …
South Africa in the news: South Africa: Fuel Price Meeting Blames Petrol Cost Hikes on Exchange Rates, Venezuela Instability: Cape Town — Energy Minister Jeff Radebe has presented several reasons why South Africans have to pay more at the pumps during an Energy Portfolio Committee meeting. The session comes a week after it w…: “South …
South Africa in the news: South Africa’s current account deficit widens, fuels likelihood of rate hikes: South Africa’s current account deficit widened in the first quarter of 2016 as exports of platinum and coal slumped as miners cut production after global commodities prices tumbled, the central bank said on Tuesday. The wider deficit, a sharp …