As people in the UK recover from the excesses of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, they are faced with the painful reality of a 2.5 percent increase in VAT. January 4th saw VAT rise to its highest level as the government looks to address the massive budget deficit.
This is just one of the austerity measures initially announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne last year. It is hoped that the increase to 20 percent will raise more than £13billion per year by the end of parliament in …

As the government seeks to make further cuts in public spending to help reduce the budget deficit, union bosses are warning that large numbers of public sector jobs will be lost. In fact the GMB trade union has estimated that 200,000 jobs will be cut by councils in England this year.
The union fears the cuts will be hurried through before the end of the financial year in March, claiming that the speed and size of the cuts will be unprecedented. However, Grant Shapps, the local government minister dismissed the union’s …

Good news has emerged for computer users with e-mail accounts as it was revealed this week that the volume of spam has fallen in recent months. The drop in junk e-mail was quite steady between August and December before a dramatic decline was seen over the Christmas period.
One security firm noted that there were about 200 billion spam messages being sent each day in August last year. However, this had fallen quite substantially to around 50 billion by December, yet nobody really knows why.
Paul Wood, a senior analyst at Symantec …

Just when we thought the controversy over bankers’ bonuses was over, it seems that pay outs could run to billions in 2011. Given the calls from government and the public at large for UK banks to scale back the huge bonuses, it seems they are determined to pay large sums of money in order to retain their best staff.
As the banking sector sat on the verge of collapse in 2008, members of the public were outraged at the huge bonuses being paid to some bank workers. The feeling being banks …

More heavy snowfall across the whole of the UK has brought travel disruption with many roads gridlocked and trains and flights delayed or cancelled.
Thousands of people have been left stranded at Heathrow and Gatwick with many flights getting cancelled. BA has advised all its passengers booked on flights affected not to travel to Heathrow, and warned of major disruption at all London airports.
The roads too are causing chaos with many traffic delays caused by the snow as drivers are left in standstill traffic due to road accidents or road closures, …

Mix Master Mike, a popular DJ formerly with the Beastie Boys, has performed all over the world. He has not yet, however, performed in space. He wants to change that. He wants to perform on the moon. He described his vision this way: “It may sound corny, but anything can be done. I’d like to scratch on the moon, a full-on, two-hour set. Then after the set, plant the flag and then come back.” For the time being, however, the Mix Master will have to be content with the product …

Costco Wholesale Corporation, America’s largest chain of wholesale clubs,  recently announced its first quarter net, which rose by seventeen percent. This rate was even faster than their revenue increase, and it was fueled by rising gas prices and more high end transactions. Unlike other retailers, this company has actually thrived in this weak economy. This is due in part to the bargains they offer on every day purchases, but recently, more discretionary funds have been spent in their stores as well.
Not surprisingly, the company’s food sales have remained strong. This …

A temporary extension of Bush tax cuts for all tax payers is in the works, which would include a retroactive extension of unemployment benefits for America’s jobless. Details are being hashed out, including those pertaining to the White House’s insistence on middle class and low income tax credits. Still the possibility is that a deal will be made within days, despite some democratic objections to continuing  tax cuts for the nation’s highest earners.
If Congress fails to act by the end of the year, 2011 tax rates will increase for all …

Have you, amongst many other shoppers, been left strapped for cash because of Black Friday or Cyber Monday?  You can consider consolidate and reducing your credit card debt before, during or after the holidays.
If you are in debt it’s pretty stressful, and certainly no fun.  There are many reasons that consumers should consolidate their credit card debt, but here are 4 of the main ones:

You’ll save money, and it can be substantial.  Depending on how much you owe, the savings could run from the hundreds to thousands of dollars.  If …

Are warranties really worth that extra few bucks?  Maybe, or maybe not.  It can give you piece of mind but on the other hand, if you are an avid DIY person, or the item hardly ever breaks, then warranties are not worth it.  You should thoroughly check out the manufacturer’s warranty, store warranty, or any other kind of guarantee first, before refusing one of those extra money warranties.
Be careful about any warranty you may be considering.  Some offer duplicate coverage, charge too much for the labor/replacement part, etc., or are …