 | BBC Radio 4's Money Box
Saturday, 6 September
at 1204 BST
On Radio 4 and Online |
A package of measures aimed at boosting the flagging housing market was announced by the government on Tuesday 2 September. The centrepiece was the scrapping of stamp duty for a year, for all property transactions below �175,000. This came into force last Wednesday, 3 September but experts are still trying to unravel exactly what many of the other measures will mean. We discussed the market and the suggested measures with Michael Coogan, director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, Peter Tutton, social policy officer with the Citizens Advice Bureau, Peter Rollings, managing director of Marsh and Parsons estate agents and Graeme Moran, managing director of Metropolitan Home Ownership. Further information/related stories:
 Partha Dasgupta, chief executive of the PPF, speaks to Money Box |
Insolvent pensions Another 15 insolvent pension schemes were taken over by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) in August. The fund is designed to bail out insolvent pension schemes where the employer has gone bust. The PPF said this brought to 57 the number of schemes that it had rescued since it was established in 2005. Paul Lewis asked Partha Dasgupta, the chief executive of the Pension Protection Fund, if he was expecting many more schemes to need bailing out if the UK does go into a full blown recession. Further information/related stories:
 The '10p tax band' was scrapped by Gordon Brown in his final budget |
Tax rebate Changes to personal allowance come into force on 7 September which will mean about 22 million basic rate taxpayers will get a rebate of up to �60. They will then also see their net pay rise by �10 per month for the rest of this tax year, meaning they may see a total tax saving of �120. We explored the details and background of the rebate with Angela Beech of accountants Blick Rothenberg. Further information/related stories:
 Would joining a company such as Whizz Go save you Money? |
Car clubs Parking permits, car tax, insurance, MOT, depreciation - the fixed costs of having your own car can be daunting. So some motorists are giving up owning and taking up sharing. You pay a membership and then a daily rate, and if you are lucky enough to have a car club car nearby and no one else has booked it, you can use it straight away. Bob Howard compared membership to ownership. Further information/related stories:
 A&L warned of 'significant external risks' if the takeover is rejected |
Alliance & Leicester Thousands of Alliance & Leicester (A&L) shareholders have received voting packs containing forms to approve the proposed purchase of the bank by the Spanish bank Santander. The 258 page document contains details of the planned takeover by the Spanish bank Santander, and explains how to vote on it. We asked Gavin Oldham, chief executive of The Share Centre, what the pros and cons might be and what exactly shareholders would have to do. Further information/related stories:
BBC Radio 4's Money Box was broadcast on Saturday, 6 September 2008 at 1204 BST. The programme was repeated on Sunday, 7 September 2008 at 2102 BST.
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