Expat victory over HMRC

hmrcWhen James and Sarah Glyn retired to Monaco in 2005, they did not expect to be charged £5.5 million by HMRC after receiving £29 million from selling his family property portfolio.

The couple returned regularly to London for Jewish festivals and traditional Friday night suppers with their grown-up children.

New Algarve wine launched for Prince George

vinesSir Cliff Richard, 73, has introduced a new sparkling rosé wine to the market.

Called Congratulations, the name is a reference to his 1968 hit.

More Brits hit by inheritance tax

londonpropThe inheritance tax threshold in the UK is being quickly outstripped by rising house prices.

As a result, tens of thousands of families could be affected in the coming five years.

Card payment system crashes across Portugal

continentePayment card operating company SIBS confirmed the ‘existence of technical problems’ in payment terminals across the country this afternoon, but cash machines (ATMs) were unaffected.

“The network of payment terminals (TPAs) has been recording technical disturbances during the afternoon of Monday” confirmed SIBS with masterful understatement.

Home Affairs Minister accused of intimidation

parliamentThe Association of Professional Guards has accused the minister of Internal Affairs of issuing “intimidating” statements.

The Association of Professional Guards said today that it regretted that the Minister of Home Affairs had said it was ‘unacceptable’ for officers to mount Parliament’s steps during the demonstration last Thursday. Miguel Macedo also claimed this behaviour “will not be repeated.”

Restaurant VAT at 23% raises more, forget about the job losses

restaurantThe VAT rate on restaurants and catering has had a ‘positive impact’ of €180 million, according to a delighted Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs.

Paul Nuncio was speaking on the last day of debate on the 2014 state budget and accused the opposition socialists of using ‘wrong numbers’ in its analysis of the impact of the rise in VAT from 13% to 23% in 2012.

Ryanair rebrands itself while O’Leary steps aside

ryanair2Ryanair’s leading light, Michael O’Leary, has said he will remove himself from public view but will carry on as the chief executive.

Mr O’Leary, 52, has fronted the budget carrier for nearly 20 years during which steady growth reached record profits of €602 million last year.

Scotland names its independence date

scotlandThe government in Scotland has named 24 March 2016 as the date on which the country could be independent.

The date is contained in a White Paper from the Scottish government.