HMRC: the full story
Here’s our news story about HMRC’s controversial plan to shutter its telephone hotline for half the year:
Closing summary
Time for a recap…
-
HM Revenue & Customs has announced it will permanently close its self-assessment helpline for half the year, which will leave some taxpayers unable to speak to the tax authority on the phone.
The phone line will be closed between April and September each year and open only to taxpayers with “priority queries” between October and March, HMRC announced.
The move has been criticised, with the Chartered Institute of Taxation calling it “misguided”. -
Hundreds of jobs could be at risk after the owner of Ted Baker filed a motion to appoint administrators to the ailing high street retailer.
Authentic Brands Group, which bought Ted Baker in 2022, blamed the build-up of “a significant level of arrears” at No Ordinary Designer Label (NODL), the company which trades as Ted Baker.
In other retail gloom…. furniture retailer DFS has cut its sales and profits forecasts for the year, after a drop in orders, and warned that further Red Sea disruption could push some profits into the next financial year.
Japan’s central bank has ended eight years of negative interest rates, by lifting interest rates slightly into positive territory today.
Unilever is to cut 7,500 jobs globally and spin off its ice-cream division as part of an overhaul aimed at saving about €800m (£684m) over the next three years.
The Culture Secretary has said she is “minded to” refer the gulf-state backed takeover of the Telegraph newspaper group for an in-depth investigation amid concerns the deal could threaten free speech.
Economic confidence in Germany has picked up, according to the ZEW institute.
