Monday newspaper round-up: Council tax, layoffs, tech companies
By Michele Maatouk
Date: Monday 17 Feb 2025
(Sharecast News) - Britain's poorest households are paying an increasing share of their income on council tax, according to new analysis that likened it to the poll tax that contributed to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher. The poorest fifth of households paid 4.8% of their income on council tax in England, Wales and Scotland and on domestic rates in Northern Ireland in the 2020-21 financial year, up from 2.9% in 2002-3, according to research by the Resolution Foundation. - Guardian
UK employers are preparing for the biggest redundancy round in a decade amid collapsing business confidence as firms brace for tax increases from April that Rachel Reeves announced in her autumn budget. In a fresh blow for the chancellor, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which represents human resources professionals, said a survey of 2,000 employers showed redundancy intentions at their highest level in 10 years, barring the Covid pandemic. - Guardian
At a recent dinner for the HR chiefs of Britain's biggest listed companies, anger was stirring. Donald Trump's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in America was riling up many guests. According to one of those in attendance, the prevailing mood in the room was: "We need to take a stand against this. We're not going to bow down to Trump and move in that direction." - Telegraph
Tech companies including Elon Musk's X and Google have claimed that businesses could leave Britain over the cost of funding an online safety crackdown. Google said fees that will be charged to internet companies as part of the Online Safety Act risked "driving services" out of the UK, while X warned that it could "disincentivise" global companies from entering the market. - Telegraph
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