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Comparison website ‘misleading’ savers into buying low rates

They compared four major comparison websites, as part of the investigation and found its rivals offered far more choices. Savers who took these inferior “best buys” could lose up to £500 a year in lost interest, according to the programme. 

This figure comprises interest that savers would forgo if they put £1,000 into an easy-access account, £10,000 into an Isa, £8,000 into a 3-year bond and £7,000 into a notice account according to the sites recommendations, compared with the best deals for each product. The savings section has now been removed from the website 

The first comparison site started in 2002, introducing the model whereby firms pay for their products to be included in online best-buy tables. These sites have since become household names, and are widely used to compare financial products such as car insurance and energy suppliers. 

Comparison websites typically have a commercial link with the products they advertises, for example the comparison website may receive a commission every time a user clicks through to a bank or building society’s product website. 

Investors are lulled into a false sense of security by expecting impartial information to be supplied for them to get the best deal.  Whilst quite often people are satisfied with the outcome, there is no ongoing support and advice after. This is where Blacktower can help you.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

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Expat Tax Planning in 2019

Calendar PlannerTax planning should be a New Year priority for any British citizen who has recently become an expat.

Just last year HM Revenue & Customs increased its efforts to ensure expats met their full tax obligations and has begun to successfully use EU laws that encourage co-operation between member states. “We will not hesitate to use all legal means to collect taxes that are owed,” commented an HMRC spokesperson. Despite this tough talking, the EU this year criticised the UK for its poor record of cross-border tax collection.

It is important to remember that although the HMRC’s new stricter approach remains at an early stage, it is already paying dividends for the government, which estimates that it lost £1.7bn in tax revenue in 2016-17, compared to £4bn in 2011-12. Furthermore, 1,006 requests for tax information were made to EU authorities in 2017. This resulted in the recovery of £5 million. In comparison, similar requests in 2013 yielded just £800,000.

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Panama Papers and the banks

panama papersAt the moment, politicians across the world – especially, it seems, in the UK – are in the spotlight regarding their tax affairs. Banks, however, will also soon be in the spotlight, as by Friday 15th April they have been told to hand any information regarding their dealings with the law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers over to the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority.

As a result, pressure is growing on the City watchdog to launch a full-blown investigation into these explosive claims.

It has already become clear that nearly all of the major banks are involved to some degree, with a few well known Banks such as HSBC, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Coutts and Rothschild’s standing out more than others.

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