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1 week ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
'Estate agent deserves champagne'Ms Daley-Frank's mother, Mari, bought her retirement property in Chippenham, Wiltshire, in 2014 and lived there until her death, aged 92, in September 2020. It is run by the charity and provider Methodist Housing Association (MHA), which operates around 65 retirement living schemes in the UK. The service charge was £6,000 a year, which funded the swimming pool, gym and cinema as well as the cleaner and gardener.
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1 week ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Josh Kirby |Maya Wilson Autzen
Eligibility for appealWith regard to council tax, a second home is defined as a property that is "occupied periodically", for which "there is no resident of the dwelling, and the dwelling is substantially furnished". But if you use your second home frequently enough, or you do not believe that your home meets this definition, you may be able to use this to appeal a council tax premium.
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1 week ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
Angela Rayner's department has refused to investigate the impact of the second home council tax raid on local economies, housing markets or tourism. Jim McMahon, Labour minister for local government and English devolution, said it was up to individual councils to decide if the 100pc premium was "effective" and that the Government would not be conducting any research. Critics said his response suggested that Labour does not "know or care about the impacts of its high-tax agenda".
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1 month ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
One reader wrote in to Telegraph Money to explain why he longs to move back home - but can't. Here, he tells us his story. For the past five years, my wife and I have yearned to return to the UK. But the severe tax regime, made worse by Rachel Reeves's Budget, is forcing us to stay where we are. Britain used to be a great place to live, attracting wealthy people with the non-dom tax status - which have been all-but abolished thanks to Reeves.
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1 month ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
Andrew Dixon, of campaign group Fairer Share, said: "The unfairness of MPs receiving taxpayer-funded support for their council tax bills is symptomatic of a broader issue with our tax system - one that prioritises privilege over equity.
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1 month ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
What you can do to soften the blow of April's steep price rises on council tax, water, energy and moreToday marks the start of a painful first week of April, where almost everyone in the country will get stung by at least one of the many price rises and tax hikes coming into force. Households and businesses across the country will be hit with the double whammy of soaring bills, as well as the knock-on effect of Rachel Reeves's National Insurance tax raid on businesses.
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1 month ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
Durand Hotham is one such unlucky resident. He inherited his childhood home in Denbighshire, Wales, from his parents in 2003. He desperately wants to return to his family home but is being "crippled" by the charges, which have risen from £4,371 to £10,928 over the past three years. Denbighshire council is hiking the 100pc premium to 150pc from April, as Welsh authorities have an upper limit of 300pc: "It's a way of raising money with impunity," said Mr Hotham.
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1 month ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
Sign up to the weekly Investor Newsletter for exclusive analysis and content. View the best savings rates on the market right now. In her 30s, Jane Perry took a leap of faith and poured her money into shares, despite knowing "nothing" about investing. Now at the age of 76, she has reached the status of Isa millionaire, with a portfolio worth £1.7m. She urges everyone, in particular women, to invest, to make their hard-earned money go further.
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1 month ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
Receive personalised tips on how to improve your financial situation, for free. Here's how to apply or fill in the form below. After struggling as a new mother to juggle parenthood with work, Faye Dicker set out to create her own professional community - think NCT for businesswomen. She had been working as a morning presenter for BBC Radio Bristol, but decided to do freelance voiceover work when her eldest, Jemma, was born because radio's early shift patterns weren't well-suited to motherhood.
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1 month ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Maya Wilson Autzen
Council documents, according to Mr Kingsbury, state the local authority will pocket £20,000 from the deal this year. He said: "It's in their advantage to fine people as they'll get more money for it. The incentive is to fine the easiest people possible so they're picking on the low hanging fruit."He highlighted how easy it is for a single letter to blow out of a bin, or for refuse workers to accidentally drop something: "Yes it's right to tackle fly-tipping. But this is too heavy-handed.
