Why supermarket price wars aren’t all they’re cracked up to be

Tesco has joined Morrrisons in tantalising supermarket shoppers with offers of price cuts. According to The Telegraph: Tesco has cut the cost of a cooked breakfast, with lower prices on eggs, bacon and tomatoes, saving families ‘£96 a year’. Hmmm… The Tesco salvo was in response to a similar promise to cut prices from Morrisons. Of course, it would be cynical to point out that both these generous offers were made on the back on dwindling profits. We’re all for basics such as bread and eggs costing less but we trust supermarkets about as far as you can throw a […]

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New tax year, new errors, so pick up the phone

We are in a new tax year and that means there’s plenty to be done to make sure you do not pay too much tax. Errors can and do occur and nobody seems to have simple tax affairs these days. If you think you’ve paid too much or too little tax you should contact HM Revenue and Customs. You can telephone 0300 200 3300. This is a special tax line. Or you can write to HM Revenue and Customs, PAYE, PO Box 1970, Liverpool L75 1WX. Be very careful when seeking out tax information online. There’s lots of useful information […]

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Watchdog takes on credit card companies

We’re still sizing up the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which has been pretty busy since it took over trying to whip the financial sector into shape. But we like the fact that it’s already managed to upset some of the big players. Way to go FCA. Way to go. Today they announced a competition review into the UK’s £150bn credit card market (although not until the end of the year). FCA chief executive Martin Wheatley says that given 30 million people hold at least one credit card it was right that the regulator explores whether competition in this market was […]

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