We need more revenue. We should just tax large multinational more- easy, isn’t it? ( Irony klaxon)

Not for the first time I ask: how can a bag be an unexpected item in a bagging area?

This is most striking figure from Millburn Review. They estimate that around half of the 18-24 population who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) are not claiming any benefits. This limits how effective any reforms to the benefit system can be in reducing the NEET rate.

Confused by Home Farm partnership storyline. What does partnership own if not the land? Does Brian rent the land to the partnership? Have they thought about inheritance tax ? Why can’t partnership own the land? Same thing with Brookfield. Scriptwriters get some legal advice- please! #TheArchers

It is a pity (though inevitable) that politicians play politics and someone decided to call this a ‘wealth tax’ but alignment of income tax and capital gains tax rates is not a new idea. We have been there before. The very non radical Office of Tax Simplification raised it in 2020/21.

This is a very interesting video. After a brief intro, the first 3 minutes are a monologue starting in the English of 600AD and transitioning to modern American. Where do you start understanding it? youtu.be/842OX2_vCic?...

Yesterday I did not go to central London. For first time ever I was concerned about safety due to both marches. But today went to South Bank and felt London was reclaimed- people of all kinds walking along, children playing happily together at Jubilee Gardens play park. This is the real London.

A bigger question on the relationship between people paying council tax and being on the electoral register is whether Councils are routinely checking this?

Iran war accelerates ‘Regrexit’ as wealthy UK expats weigh a return- FT article notes that wanting to be near your adult children may be a reason to wish to come back to the UK ( for women more than men?). If money can’t buy you freedom to live near your family, what use is it?

Not one article or report I have read defines poor health. Are they including people on statins as poor health for example?

So we are running out of CO2 and at the same time spending money on storing it. Why don’t we spend that money instead on purifying industrial CO 2 so that we can use it for all the things it is needed for? Can anyone explain please?

Proud grandmother reposting.

Does no one else have this problem?

The new Arterio trains going into Waterloo have such a large gap between the train and the platform that they are dangerous for the elderly, disabled and people with children. How did regulators permit this?

In a miserable world here are some very early bluebells to lift spirits

Carlin Moran nails it this week - Give Jim Ratcliffe a break. He’s just a billionaire www.thetimes.com/article/f387...

Having finally caught up with the need to do a story about Inheritance Tax the scriptwriters are making a total mess of it! Don’t seem to have made any attempt to understand the issues. Disappointing #thearchers

Very sad to see this. I knew Deborah as a colleague at Worcester College, where she was as sensible, no-nonsense and wise as in other roles described here. My sympathy to all her family and friends. Deborah Cameron obituary: linguist, feminist and firebrand www.thetimes.com/article/a042...

Once had privilege of listening to Ian McKellen perform at Oxford. Seemed timely then - even more so now.

9 months later. First serious discussion of inheritance tax by farm owners on #TheArchers. But I thought Brookfield had a family company. Don’t Kenton, Shula and Elizabeth have some kind of interest? Why don’t the scriptwriters get some advice on this? And they need to consider succession anyway.

Apparently there is a curvy Barbie but she is a size 8! www.bbc.com/news/magazin...

I have to say this is exactly what I thought when I saw that there was a new autistic Barbie. It is great to have diverse Barbies but if they are aiming to reflect the true population a plump one and a flat breasted one are needed too. Do they have those?

Tried to watch Love Actually with family over Christmas and had to turn it off. Unwatchable on so many levels. Legally Blonde, however, really stands the test of time- excellent!

Terrifying!

AI making up citations. This is happening and is really hard to check if it is not the editor or referee they are citing. Makes good editing more and more important and more and more time consuming.

Lovely legal discussion around #TheArchers but with all the talk about succession it is completely incredible that there has been no serious discussion of inheritance tax! Even if only to say ‘thank goodness we have arrangements in place to avoid it’ ( not convinced they all do though).

Christmas carols, as written by Parliamentary lawyers

The NHS must employ armies of people to constantly rearrange appointments they sent me in the first place. It is so inefficient. This has nothing to do with the strike. I have just had an April 2026 appointment moved to March 2026. OK with me but why?

Great letter in The Times today!

I have just seen the play ‘Oh Mary’ and I shall never be able to sing ‘I’m a little teapot’ to my grandchildren again!

Like Sam I am loving the way the newspapers are now advising us about devaluing our houses. Will we have glossy magazine articles on recluttering? Best excuse yet not to throw away all my papers.

This is splendid.

Great idea and what could be better than an episode of In Our Time featuring my daughter in law? What a wonderful treasure trove this is.

And my other post from this week on the big risks lurking in the budget small print. (Several Treasury folk have got in touch to say they're worrying about similar things...) Sign up for a trial to read both of them. bsky.app/profile/samf...

I agree with higher taxes on expensive properties but why do it like this with these weird thresholds and cliff edges?

Like Sam I am loving the way the newspapers are now advising us about devaluing our houses. Will we have glossy magazine articles on recluttering? Best excuse yet not to throw away all my papers.

Good questions. Plus pay moves around a lot for about half of workers, plus pay rises are now chunky and (probably?) come around at the same time as any tax rise

How many people know precisely what rate of income tax and NICs combined they are paying now? Especially employees. With digitalisation, how many look at their ‘payslips’? #Just asking.

Struggling through crowds at Paddington station and feeling fed up when a very small boy says to his grandmother- ‘this is fun’ and suddenly I am smiling. The amazing power of positivity ( and small children). Thank you, little boy!

Just back from trip to Pompei where I learned about the Roman tax on urine. Seems like one of the very few ideas that has not been leaked over the past few weeks …

Very much agree with this and intent to keep going as long as I can!

Most tax specialists agree we need reform not fiddling, but easy to get dragged into detail and lose overview. Good that Martin Wolf in FT also writing about big tax reform. But it cannot be rushed or it will go wrong. Economists in particular-don’t forget the need to be able to implement

Big problem with #The Archers. No scriptwriters- wills are not to be found on laptops1 They must be written, signed and witnessed.

Big Four accountants lobby against partnership tax changes in Budget . Of course they are! ‘A lot of firms will incorporate as a result of this…’ They would have done that in 2002 if they hadn’t had the LLP created for them- a vehicle that has done little but provide opportunities for tax saving.

I did predict he would turn the experience into a substack. A lot of lessons to learn ( for Sam and the NHS!)

The South Bank area used to be a lovely place to walk and sit but now there is noise everywhere. Why are buskers allowed to be so loud?

Will the Maliks buy the farm? Or will it go to Archers of some description?

Very interesting!