Capital Gains Axe

With the budget looming and a proposed 40 or even 50% capital gains tax sitting in the wings, the Daily Telegraph has launched a campaign to petition the Chancellor, George Osbourne, to scrap it.

The gist of the Telegraph argument is that in very many cases it's an unfair tax on prudent people trying to make provision for their own retirement, something the conservatives urged, praised and supported in opposition, however, that support seems set to be an early victim of coalition compromise under the hand of Vince Cable. Will Osbourne pay any heed to a petition knowing he doesn't have to face the polls for five years? Personally, I suspect our pips are going to be squeeked.

To die for...

Apple is launching an independent investigation into one of it's suppliers the Taiwan-based company, Foxconn, since they suffered eleven suicides in six months at one factory.

The factory in southern China assembles their iPhone.

Foxconn who also produce Dell computers and Nokia phones, say "you should look closely into both the Chinese and international (suicide) rates", "the suicidal rate is within the normal range".

One can only assume they're basing this on the actions of striking BA cabin crew.

Clear speech

The Queen's speech delivered what the business community needed to hear, particularly welcome was the focus on tackling state debt. The Queen also outlined plans to establish an Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), this new office would replace the Treasury as official forecaster on economic growth and on public borrowing. Independence, openness and honesty are all good things, I hope however some information is still managed, because when you're going under for the third time you really just need to to hear the words 'keep swimming', not 'you're drowning'.

Slick operators

The statement from BP's chief executive, that the huge oil spill swilling around in the Gulf of Mexico is going to end up having only a "very, very modest environmental impact" looks set to be a 'liar, liar, pants on fire' moment in his shining career.

BP's profits make all the more obscene the fact that this isn't a scenario that they had prepared for, nor have the ability to manage.

It's the law that we all drive with a spare in the car, because sooner or later we all get a bust tyre, perhaps BP ought to invest as much in 'it's 'spare tyre technology' as it does in it's 'sucking out all the oil technology'.

Pompey had it easy

As Willie Walsh looks to the sky he must think that volcanic ash would be easier to manage or negotiate with than BA cabin staff or their union Unite.

With the airline haemoraging cash at £7m a day during strike action staff must realise that sooner or later it will not be viable to maintain the fleet in it's present form or size.

BA cabin staff are already paid almost double that of other airlines, and have a perk package the envy of the flying world, however if the strikes continue their goose that lays the golden eggs may well be cooked.

Up, down, shake it all around...

Property prices and sales have been all over the place recently, the uncertainty of who wold be in power and what that might mean in terms of inflation, capital gains and the economy in general have all taken their toll.

For today however the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) is predicting that the housing market will gain momentum in the next few months, they said activity had increased with the onset of spring with property prices rising and the number of sales going up. Let's see what they say tomorrow...

Paris art theft

The Paris Museum of Modern Art has reported the theft of five of their most valuable masterpieces, collectively estimated to be worth over £86m. The paintings included works by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

The haul is thought to be one of the biggest art heists ever carried out, although the paintings are likely to be virtually worthless to the thief who will never be able to sell them on.

One can only imagine the response of the police sketch artist tasked with producing a credible likeness of the thief...

Coalition compromise

In the wake of the general election and the horse-trading that has obviously gone on in the frantic to and fro since, there has emerged a coalition, a yellow and blue one.

This is the first time, in a very long time that Britain has had a coalition government, and there seems an air of hope in the country that it may work. There have been big concessions on both sides, but perhaps that's what the country needs, politicians working together for the good of the country.

I for one would like to think it could work, because I like to see the people in charge of the country smiling, naturally, not as if they're hooked up to an invisible face crane or have just sat on an oversized product from the Ann Summers shop.