Foreign
UK announces £1,000 yearly tax cut for households
Online tool launched to help workers estimate their savings.
In the past year, inflation has halved; the economy has recovered more quickly from the pandemic than first thought; and debt is on track to fall. With a renewed focus on the long-term decisions to strengthen the economy, the government is changing gear and cutting taxes for hard working people, giving them the opportunity to build a wealthier, more secure life for themselves and their families.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
“We have made tough decisions on the economy, supporting people through global shocks such as the pandemic and Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. It is because of the tough decisions this government has taken that today we are able to cut taxes for 27 million people across the UK.
“Today’s tax cuts will directly reward hard working people, putting £450 back in the pocket of the average worker and helping them make ends meet.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:
“With inflation halved, we’ve turned a corner and are cutting taxes – starting with today’s record cut to National Insurance worth nearly £1,000 for a household.
“From nurses and brickies, to cleaners and butchers, 27 million hard-working Brits will have a little more cash in their pockets.”
The cut means that for those on average salaries, personal taxes would be lower in the UK than every other G7 country, based on the most recent OECD data. The UK also has the most generous starting allowances for income tax and social security contributions in the G7.
To mark the tax cut, HMRC have launched an online tool to help people understand how much they could save in National Insurance this year.
The tool will use salary information to give employees personalised estimates of how much they could save because of the government’s changes, and will be hosted on the government’s cost of living support website on GOV.UK.
The last major cut to the current personal tax system of today’s magnitude was when the National Insurance personal allowance increased from £9,880 to £12,570 in July 2022. This was the largest ever cut to a personal tax starting threshold, allowing working people to hold on to an extra £2,690 free from tax whilst taking 2.2 million people out of paying tax altogether.
Today’s tax cut combined with above-inflation increases to tax thresholds since 2010 means that the average earner will pay over £1,000 less in personal taxes than they otherwise would have done.
At the Autumn Statement the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the biggest package of tax cuts to be implemented since the 1980s. In addition to today’s action, the Chancellor also announced a National Insurance cut for 2 million self-employed people, which will take effect on 6 April 2024 and is worth £350 for the average self-employed person on £28,200. He also announced the biggest ever increase to the National Living Wage, effectively cut corporation tax by more than £55 billion as he made full expensing permanent to help businesses invest for less, froze alcohol duty for six months and extended cuts to business rates relief for the high street.
Today’s historic National Insurance cut takes effect following the government stepping in to support households during the Covid-19 pandemic and throughout Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine. The government took the decision to manage the public finances responsibly by not saddling future generations to help pay down debt.
Further information
An average police officer on £44,300 will receive an annual gain of over £630.
A typical junior doctor on £63,000 will receive an annual gain of over £750.
A cleaner working night shifts on £21,000 will receive a gain of £170.
A typical self-employed plumber on £34,400 will receive an annual gain of £410.
An average teacher on £44,300 will receive an annual gain of over £630
A hard-working family with 2 earners on the average earnings of £35,404 will be £900 better off.
A United States federal court has set August 21, 2026, as the deadline for the release of records linked to longstanding allegations concerning Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and U.S. financial accounts associated with him in the 1990s.
The records are being sought in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Aaron Greenspan, which has reportedly been before the federal courts for more than three years.
The documents are understood to be held by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The development followed a reported request by the DOJ for an additional 10 days to comply with an earlier court order requiring the release of the records.
According to Von Batten, a Washington, D.C.-based Republican lobbying firm, Tinubu also joined the DOJ’s request for the extension.
The firm said it obtained a copy of a recent court filing submitted on Tinubu’s behalf and claimed that the Nigerian president formally joined the request just two business days before it became public.
However, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell rejected the request for additional time and directed that the records be released by August 21.
Von Batten said Tinubu’s reported decision to participate in the extension request raised questions about his reasons for seeking more time before the records are made public.
The firm alleged that the delay could potentially be used to lobby U.S. officials over concerns that releasing the documents might affect U.S.-Nigeria relations.
It further speculated that Tinubu could argue that disclosure of the records might affect his cooperation with Washington on counterterrorism and security matters.
The records relate to allegations dating back to the early 1990s, including the 1993 forfeiture of approximately $460,000 connected to accounts associated with Tinubu in a U.S. proceeding involving suspected proceeds of narcotics trafficking.
Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has rejected allegations linking him personally to drug trafficking.
Von Batten also warned against any attempt by U.S. officials to interfere with the FOIA or judicial process to prevent the records from being released.
The lobbying firm referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated opposition to shielding individuals accused of serious criminal conduct, arguing that the legal process should be allowed to proceed without political interference.
With Judge Howell’s ruling in place, the records are expected to be released on or before August 21, unless further legal action changes the deadline.
The contents of the documents remain unknown, and their release could provide further information about the 1990s forfeiture proceedings and U.S. law-enforcement investigations involving accounts linked to Tinubu.
South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Durban on Monday.
The group marched through central Durban under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people,” calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.
March and March had earlier led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher government action against undocumented immigration and warning that its campaign would continue until its demands were addressed.
Announcing its latest action, the group said the September 30 deadline would mark the beginning of what it described as the “mother of all protests”, while urging South Africans to assist the police in identifying undocumented foreigners.
The protest took place as the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government got underway in Durban, with leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states in attendance.
The demonstration has renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, particularly citizens of other African countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemned discrimination and violence against foreigners, saying South Africa could not advocate regional integration at the SADC summit while practising exclusion within the country.
The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and reports of attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.
March and March has continued to demand tougher action against undocumented immigration, while tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals have prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens from South Africa.
The latest protest has brought the immigration dispute directly to the doorstep of the SADC summit, placing the issue before regional leaders whose citizens are among those affected.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, while calling on Tehran to surrender.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, amid ongoing talks between Oman and Iran over future maritime navigation arrangements through the strategic waterway.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said, referring to the discussions between Oman and Iran as Washington pursues its own negotiations.
Iranian and Omani officials have been holding talks for weeks, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying Monday that both sides were working towards a joint declaration on the strait.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is under US control, despite Iran maintaining an effective blockade that has severely restricted maritime traffic.
On Friday, Trump said he could even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, prompting Iran to insist that the strategic waterway “will remain Iranian.”
Trump also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst.
The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south, was previously regarded as an open international waterway and carries a significant share of global energy shipments.
AFP
There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.
Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran. It was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
AFP
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