Main content

Tax havens - 'sunny places for shady people'?

Liability for offshore accounts, changes in the rent-to-own market, the new Innovative Isa and why millions of workers will see their take home pay reduced.

Offshore, tax avoidance, trusts. Words of the week as 11 million confidential documents from the Panama based lawyers Mossack Fonseca were leaked to a German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung and analysed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The 215,000 trusts, companies, and foundations identified are not all owned by world leaders, celebrities, and politicians. There are unknown people of fairly modest wealth there too. What should we do if an accountant or adviser suggests to us that offshore is not as foreign as it sounds?

More than six million people who are members of a workplace pension scheme will find they pay more National Insurance from this week. It's been described by some as a 'stealth tax raid' which will net the Treasury £5.5bn a year. Why is it happening?

How much should a £415 washing machine cost? You could pay £1248 if you rent-to-own it through a firm called Brighthouse. But through one cheaper alternative, you could pay just £648 and own the washing machine nearly 18 months sooner. The FCA is investigating the sector and recently ordered another, quite separate, rent-to-own firm to pay £939,000 redress to 59,000 customers for unfair practice. Should more be being done to stop these firms levying excessive charges on customers who have no other way of buying such expensive items?

This week saw yet another new ISA launched. The Innovative Finance ISA allows peer-to-peer investments to be put into an ISA so that the returns earned are tax-free. The industry say it's a 'pivotal' moment but is it suitable for all levels of investor?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Producer: Alex Lewis
Reporters: Jonathan Park + James Melley
Editor: Andrew Smith.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Sun 10 Apr 2016 21:00

Chapters

  • NICS Contributions

    Why millions of workers will see their take home pay reduced from this week.

    Duration: 04:01

  • Rent to Own

    Should more be being done to stop firms levying excessive charges on customers.

    Duration: 07:20

  • Innovative Financial ISA's

    An ISA which allows peer-to-peer investment - is it suitable for all levels of investor?

    Duration: 05:23

  • Tax Avoidance

    The offshore accounts that are often just a 'normal part' of most pension funds

    Duration: 06:40

Related Links

NICS increase

Paul Lewis blog on NICS increase: 

Which? guide to what ‘contracting out’ means: 

Understanding the new state pension: 

Rent to Own

Report on rent-to-own market by Financial Inclusion Centre: 

Budgeting loans:

Fair for You: 

Find a credit union: 

Innovative Isa launch

HMRC - Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account and peer to peer loans: 

HM Treasury - ISA qualifying investments: 

Tax avoidance

Latest on the leaked Panama papers:

Broadcasts

  • Sat 9 Apr 2016 12:04
  • Sun 10 Apr 2016 21:00

The Death of Retirement

The Death of Retirement

Money Box explores what retirement might look like in the future,

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Podcast