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 …
South Africa’s finance minister wanted to raise VAT: the pros and cons of a tricky tax: South Africa’s finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, cancelled the unveiling of the country’s 2025 budget as it was due to be released. The move is unprecedented in the country’s history. The reason for the abrupt cancellation was the failure of …
Manchester United’s plan to raise ticket prices could be a breach of the ‘social contract’ between club and fans: When billionaire Jim Ratcliffe took a 27.7% stake in Manchester United back in February 2024, he had big plans. He would, he said, take the club “back to the top of English, European and world football, …
Running for US president is a costly business – here’s how the candidates raise money: It costs a lot of money to become president of the United States. The 2020 presidential election cycle involved campaign expenditure of US$ 14 billion (£11 billion) – an amount that will almost certainly be beaten in November 2024. By …
Houthi militant attacks in the Red Sea raise fears of Somali piracy resurgence: Renewed attacks on ships by suspected Somali pirates since November 2023 have fuelled fear of a new threat of piracy off the east coast of Africa. The area at risk stretches from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the …
Shareholder activists can inadvertently raise CEO pay – here’s how to help make pay rises more equal for all: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock Activist investors or shareholders can be a powerful force in the corporate world, capable of driving significant change within companies. Their influence can be a force for good. It can extend beyond financial decisions to …
Cardinal Newman: pro-slavery views of prominent 19th-century cleric raise questions about his educational legacy: One of the comforting stories the British told themselves in the 19th and 20th centuries was that they were implacably opposed to slavery. Britons had decided “that the disgrace of slavery should not be suffered to remain part of our national …
AI-narrated audiobooks are here – and they raise some serious ethical questions: Dean Drobot/Shutterstock Meet Madison and Jackson, the AI narrators or “digital voices” soon to be reading some of the audiobooks on Apple Books. They sound nothing like Siri or Alexa or the voice telling you about the unexpected item in the bagging area …
Tory MP’s historic family links to slavery raise questions about Britain’s position on reparations: “Reparations have been paid for other wrongs and obviously far more quickly, far more speedily than reparations for what I consider the greatest atrocity and crime in the history of mankind: transatlantic chattel slavery.” So noted the eminent Jamaican international jurist …
Raise a glass to your cousin, King Charles III: Millions of people around the world will be watching as Charles is crowned king of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. And it’s fair to say that a huge number of them could claim some degree of kinship with the new monarch as distant …
Interest rates: why the Federal Reserve and Bank of England should still raise them (a bit): What will the Federal Reserve and Bank of England do with benchmark interest rates in the wake of the banking crisis? Traditionally, controlling inflation has been the prime mandate of central banks. With annual inflation hitting double digits in …
School uniforms are meant to foster a sense of belonging and raise achievement – but it’s not clear that they do: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock In France, MPs have recently considered whether to reintroduce compulsory school uniform, with first lady Brigitte Macron adding her support to the idea. “It erases differences, it saves time,” she said. …
Ukraine war: as Russia falters on the battlefield, Putin is trying to raise the stakes: During a recent visit to St Petersburg, Russian president Vladimir Putin reiterated his confidence in his country’s victory over Ukraine. Visiting a defence contractor, he also took the opportunity to reassure workers that his so-called “special military operation” was in …
Heat pumps without home insulation could raise bills and overload the grid – here’s what the government can do: Infrared imaging reveals where most heat is lost from a house. Ivan Smuk/Shutterstock The UK aims to replace 1.7 million gas boilers a year by the mid-2030s, as part of its plan to reach net zero. …
Digital activism: study shows the internet has helped women in urban Ghana and Nigeria raise their voices: Women in rural areas have limited access to the internet. Wikimedia Commons Information technology and the internet have proven to be a strong force for building collective action groups and mobilising communities of protesters. Among the main advantages …
Cost of living crisis: the UK needs to raise taxes not cut them – here’s why: Shutterstock Taxation has turned out to be the main issue dividing the two candidates in the current Conservative Party leadership contest. While Rishi Sunak wants to hold off making tax cuts until after the cost of living crisis has …
The public cost of private schools: rising fees and luxury facilities raise questions about charitable status: Eton College, founded in 1440, is the largest boarding school in England. Shutterstock Some UK private schools appear to be taking advantage of their charitable status and the lax legal definition of “public benefit” by charging fees that are …
Inflation: there’s a vital way to reduce it that everyone overlooks – raise productivity: Inflation has become one of the great issues of our times. The UK’s is the highest in the G7, weighing in at 9% a year according to the most recent figures on consumer price inflation. When you look at the other …