Marshall Zoing - Financial Planning and Weath Management

Company News

23rd Jun 2011 - Sweet Low Sweet Charity - last few tickets remaining

Sweet Low Sweet Charity, the tag rugby charity tournament, is making a welcome return and asking - are you game?

Taking place at Ripon RUFC and Harrogate on Saturday 9th July 2011, Sweet Low Sweet Charity is a fundraising event comprising of a star-studded mixed ability 'tag' rugby tournament and Gala Dinner in aid of Ataxia UK and Reach.

This exciting event gives ordinary club players and rugby fans the opportunity to play alongside former Lions, Internationals and rising stars of the game. The tournament attracts teams from all over Yorkshire and businesses, rugby clubs and groups of friends of all abilities are invited to enter teams. Your team will be assigned a rugby star for the entire tournament, giving you the chance to play with some of the greatest rugby heros in the country.

This year's Sweet Low Sweet Charity star players include former England International Martyn Wood, former Leicester Tigers and England centre Leon Lloyd, Northampton Saints and future England star Calum Clarke, Leeds Carnegie players Leigh Hinton and Kearnan Myall, and British & Irish Lion and Irish International Simon Easterby. Simon Easterby could
recently claim to be among the best back-row players in the Northern Hemisphere, being one of the few Lions to have enhanced his reputation on the tumultuous tour to New Zealand in 2005.

Although the tournament has a competitive edge for rugby enthusiasts, minimal contact 'tag' rugby is designed to be fun and inclusive, aiming to raise much needed funds for two extremely worthwhile charities. As well as rugby, spectators can also enjoy the many stalls and activities running throughout the day, making it a great day out for everyone.

The rugby tournament is followed in the evening by a glittering Gala Dinner at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, the grand venue where Agatha Christie secretively escaped in the 1920's. The dinner is open to everyone and will give guests the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of rugby's biggest names and bid for some spectacular prizes in the charity auction, hosted by a popular TV celebrity. You can dance the night away or prop up the bar with your rugby hero!

Due to popular demand, only a limited number of team places and Gala Dinner tickets remain. If you would like to enter a team in the tournament, or take a table at the Gala Dinner, please contact Ralph Zoing at Marshall Zoing or apply directly through the Sweet Low Sweet Charity website: www.sweetcharityonline.org.uk

24th Mar 2011 - Review of the 2011 Budget

On 23 March 2011, the Chancellor, George Osborne, gave his first full Budget since the 2010 General Election.

In summary, the key announcements from the Budget are as follows:

An increase in the personal tax allowance of £630 to £8,105 from April 2012, in addition to the previously announced increase of £1000 to £7,475 from April 2011. The basic rate tax limit will reduce from £35,000 to £34,370 for tax year 2012/2013.
No changes to the higher rate of income tax. The Chancellor made it clear he wants to scrap the 50% rate brought in by the previous Government and a review will be carried out to see how much revenue is raised by the 50% rate of income tax.
The Inheritance Tax nil rate band is frozen at £325,000 until April 2015. Changes will be made to the Inheritance Tax rules to encourage charitable giving; a cut in the rate of Inheritance Tax from 40% to 36% (a 10% reduction) for those gifting 10% of their estate to charity.
The Government will begin consultations on plans to merge income tax and National Insurance contributions.
Confirmation of previous announcements on restrictions to pensions tax relief and changes to annuitisation / pension income rules.
The annual ISA investment limit will increase from £10,200 to £10,680 for 2011/2012. The cash element increases from £5,100 to £5,340. From 2012/13 onwards, the ISA subscription limits will move in line annually with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Previously, they grew in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI), which is usually higher than CPI.
Junior ISAs to replace Child Trust Funds from Autumn 2011.
Corporation Tax (CT) main rate will be cut by 2% in April 2011, not 1% as planned. This is on top of the 1% reductions in each of the next 3 years, reducing CT overall to 23% (the most competitive rate in the G7). For the tax year 2011/12, the main CT rate will be 26%. The smaller companies’ rate also reduces by 1% to 20% from 1 April 2011.
Enterprise Investment Schemes (EISs) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) will be allowed to invest more in larger companies from April 2012. Subscription limits and rates of tax relief on EISs were also increased to £1 million per year, up from the current limit of £300,000 (from April 2012). From 6 April 2011, the rate of income tax relief given for investment in EIS shares will be increased from 20% to 30%.
Winter Fuel payments will be reduced by £100 (to £300) for the over 80’s and reduced by £50 (to £200) for the over 60’s.
The Government will provide £250 million funding for first-time buyers. A new shared equity scheme, First Buy, will be available for first-time buyers who want to purchase a newly-built property but who cannot afford the high deposits.
The planned inflation rise in fuel duty is to be delayed until 2012. The annual 1p above inflation fuel escalator rise has been scrapped until 2015. Fuel duty has been cut by 1p per litre.

Please follow the link below for a detailed summary of the key announcements made in the Budget (courtesy of Skandia):

http://www.skandiaknowledgedirect.co.uk/Homepage.html

If you have any questions about the Budget announcements, please contact either Howard or Ralph.

FT Business News

7th Feb 2012 - Bombardier jobs believed safe

Months of uncertainty for workers at the UK?s last train maker is expected to end this week

7th Feb 2012 - Redknapp jury to ponder for second day

After jury fails to reach verdict, Judge Anthony Leonard says questions of media ethics should be disregarded

FT Financial Services News

7th Feb 2012 - EIG to quit Goldman platform for Asia listing

Unattractive regulatory environment in the US prompts asset manager to switch from quasi-public GSTruE exchange to Hong Kong

7th Feb 2012 - Lawson urges Brussels over auditing reforms

Former chancellor says proposed European Commission legislation should require greater sharing of information between regulators and bank auditors

Disclaimer: We offer these feeds provided by various third parties purely for convenience. We neither endorse or accept responsibility for the content or reliability of any information contained in the feeds or third party websites.