President Obama has trumpeted the temporary payroll tax cut as his major victory for middle class Americans. Unfortunately, he isn't telling you about the massive screwing over homeowners are getting to pay for a few hundred dollars in savings. Hidden in the bill that the president signed that came down from the Senate is a provision that adds a minimum monthly fee of one tenth of one percent...

Lenders appear to be becoming less amenable to extending company loans when they hit a sticky patch, which could see a surge in corporate failures

The Guardian reports: Seven hospital trusts struggling with crippling private finance initiative debts are to receive £1.5bn in emergency funding from the government to help them avoid cutting patient services to pay their bills. The Department of Health is making the £1.5bn available – in grants, not loans – to the seven hospital trusts in

Eurozone???s bilateral loans to IMF won???t make a big difference

Chris Leslie MP, Labour’s Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury, responding to BBC Newsnight reports this evening suggesting that Danny Alexander and David Willetts approved the Chief Executive Officer of the Student Loans Company’s contract, said:

Ministers are under pressure to explain why they allowed a top civil servant to be paid his salary through a company, allowing him significantly to reduce his tax bill

Michael Deacon watches Danny Alexander face questions on the peculiar pay arrangements of Ed Lester, head of the Student Loans Company.

Shabana Mahmood MP, Labour's Shadow Minister for Higher Education, has written to David Willetts following the Urgent Question which took place in the House of Commons this morning on the pay and tax arrangements for the Chief Executive of the Student Loans Company. Following her letter, she added:

A BBC Newsnight investigation reveals that the Student Loans Company's chief executive Ed Lester received his £182,000 pay package without deductions for tax or National Insurance.

The head of the Student Loans Company will have tax and National Insurance payments deducted from his £182,000 pay package in future, ministers say.