Cash

Interest rates as high as 4.45% and a steep cut in next year’s allowance fuel forecast of last-minute rush Savers who want to make the most of this year’s cash Isa allowance are being urged not to leave it to the last minute, as the deadline for applications falls on the Easter weekend.The Isa wrapper allows people to save or invest money and benefit from the returns free of tax. Each tax year, people can pay in up to £20,000, which can then be moved around in subsequent years without the tax benefits being lost. Continue reading...

From 6 April, low-income families can claim universal credit payments for all children living in the householdThe two-child benefit policy has been described as a “cap on childhood” and as it comes to an end, Claire* hopes to throw a birthday party for her son.It is a celebration most children may take for granted, but Claire and her partner run out of money at the end of every month, skipping meals so that their three children can eat. Her son, now in his final year at primary school, has never had a party. Continue reading...

Industry groups say delay to defence investment plan (DIP) leaving UK behind in global race for fundingDefence manufacturers are going bust while others have been left in “paralysis” and “bleeding cash” as they wait for a long-delayed UK military spending plan for the next decade, MPs have heard.Industry groups said that a more than six-month delay to the defence investment plan (DIP) has also left the UK behind Germany and the US in attracting cash from global investors. Continue reading...

David Pocock says a flat 25% export levy on gas producers could redirect ‘wartime profits’ to struggling AustraliansGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPressure is mounting on the Albanese government to help households struggling with fuel prices, with working from home and free public transport posited as possible solutions.Nearly 150,000 New Zealand families will soon receive a weekly cash payment to help them afford petrol, believed to be the world’s first fuel relief package that directly pays citizens since the Israel-US war on Iran began. Continue reading...

Policy begins on 1 April and is aimed to ease financial pressure as the price of fuel surges due to conflict in the Middle EastNearly 150,000 New Zealand families will soon receive a weekly cash payment to help them afford petrol, the government has announced, in what is believed to be the world’s first fuel relief package that directly pays citizens since the Iran war began.On Tuesday, prime minister Christopher Luxon and finance minister Nicola Willis announced roughly 143,000 families with children will get an extra NZ$50 ($29.20; £21.80) a week through a boost to the in-work tax credit – a payment to families with dependent children where at least one parent is in paid employment and neither parent receives benefits. Another 14,000 families on slightly higher incomes will also be eligible for payments, but will receive less than $50 per week. Continue reading...