France and Germany are piling more pressure on the European Union to approve a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT), a measure that is met with huge resistance by many governments, economists and the financial industry.  More »

The Lib Dems have read the polls and tested public opinion. They have been told many of us are fed up with high taxes and huge public sector waste, so they are seeking to position themselves as the waste and tax cutters. There is no evidence from local government that this is what they do in

Politicians in Austria are weighing up the benefits of a financial transactions tax (FTT) versus a tax on banking assets. Christoph Leitl, head of the country's federal Economy Chamber, tells EurActiv why he thinks an FTT is preferable.

"Don't penalise the drivers of older cars"... "Compensate the 10p tax losers"... "Help hard-pressed families dependant on public sector wages"... "Don't force businesses to move abroad to escape higher taxes." The demands on the public finances grow and grow just as they themselves are shrinking. Corporation tax revenue from the financial services is going down. Stamp duty from the slumping housin...

First, banks are likely to pass on the burden of this tax almost completely to their customers through higher bank interest margins and bank fees. This makes the Financial Activities Tax a tax on bank customers rather than on bank shareholders. Since the Financial Transactions Tax (ie, Tobin, or Robin Hood) also falls on customers,

THE financial services industry in Scotland still has "huge strengths", Alex Salmond said yesterday.

Allowing the Scottish Parliament to raise its own income tax threatens a huge increase in tax evasion and costs to the public purse "significantly" exceeding £150 million, experts have warned.

CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling will lay bare the dire state of the UK finances today, with a Budget featuring tax rises, huge public borrowing and plans to sell off assets including the Royal Mint.

Third, poll after poll shows overwhelming public support for a tax on bankers’ bonuses; a mansion tax on multimillion-pound properties; a windfall levy on the oil and utility companies; a Robin Hood tax on financial transactions; and a one-off wealth tax of 20% on the richest 10% of households (which would raise a whopping £800bn

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “While ordinary families are suffering in the financial crisis, the public sector elite are enjoying record pay packages. Far too often, senior officials get massive pay rises and generous bonuses despite serious failures on their watch. Where someone is earning huge amounts at taxpayers’ expense they must be acco...