HMRC loses £50m Qatar tax appeal
HM Revenue & Customs has lost its bid to recover up to £50 million in stamp duty from the sale of the Chelsea Barracks in 2007. Three Court of Appeal judges decided that HRMC had pursued the wrong party for the tax.The purchaser, a firm owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, had used a type of Islamic finance that meant a bank actually owned the property. The tax office said it was “disappointed by the ruling”
Three announces mobile ad-blocking trial
Three, the mobile service provider has confirmed it will block advertising on its network for a 24 hour trial in June. The company, which has 30 million subscribers worldwide, said it will then block most online display and video ads apart from those that appear in Facebook and Twitter apps. The move is intended to improve customer privacy, reduce data costs and provide a better web experience on mobile phones.
House prices to force a million more youngsters to live with parents
A million more young people might be forced to share a house with their parents over the next ten years to save money for a deposit to buy their own home, according to Aviva, an insurance company. The study forecasts that 3.8 million people aged between 21 and 34 will be living at home by 2025, a third more than at the moment.
Aldi taps into craft beer market
Discount supermarket chain Aldi has announced it is investing into the craft beer industry. From May 29, the grocer will stock 18 UK brewed craft beers in its English and Welsh stories. Wiltshire brewery, Wadworth, is just one of thirteen local breweries signed up, with its signature Wadworth 6X ale. Others include Everards Brewery's Two Tribes and A-Hop-alypse Now from Camerons Brewery.
