@freddiecamp Just clocked up 37,000 miles on mine, touch wood not a single issue, going for its first set of plugs in a fortnight. Oil and filter every 10k. Absolutely love the Dakar 👌
It's Beer Day Britain. 🍻
Today, we're raising a pint to Britain's national drink and celebrating the great British pub. Join people across the country in the national #CheersToBeer at 7pm!
Here's to great beer, great pubs and great company. 🍻
https://t.co/DBYh2HM37X
This is awful. The last ever Denby Pottery going to the kiln. Why is there not uproar? Where’s the government in this?? We all have Denby in our homes, in family heirlooms, as our history and now it’s closing through lack of support, such a sad sad day. #SaveDenby@denbypottery
If you buy the new Ferrari Luce as a company car you can deduct 100% of the purchase price from your taxable profits…. So if your profits exceed £250k, buying a Luce would save you £125k in corporation tax. This ludicrous tax loophole is why so many new EV’s are sold. According to gov figures 78% of all EV’s are bought through a busienss. If this tax loophole didn’t exist the number of new EV’s being sold in the UK would be staggeringly lower.
A farmer dies in April 2026.
His son inherits the farm. The farm has been in the family since 1847.
The farm consists of: 300 acres of grazing pasture, a farmhouse built in 1892, a barn, a milking parlour, two tractors of varying ages, a Land Rover that runs about 70% of the time, and a herd of 180 Hereford-cross cattle.
On paper, the farm is worth approximately £3.2 million. This is because land near him has been bought recently by a London hedge fund looking for carbon credits, which has dragged the comparable value of every field within forty miles upward to a number nobody local can justify.
In cash, the farm produces a profit of about £28,000 a year in a good year. In a bad year it loses money. The son also works as a fencing contractor three days a week to keep the operation viable.
The inheritance tax bill on a £3.2 million estate, even at the reduced 20% rate, comes to approximately £140,000 after the increased threshold is applied. The son does not have £140,000. The son has never had £140,000. The son has £4,200 in his current account and an overdraft.
The son sells 60 acres to a developer to pay the tax. The developer puts solar panels on the 60 acres. The remaining herd cannot be sustained on the reduced land. The herd is sold. The barn becomes a holiday let.
A different family eats Brazilian beef this Christmas without knowing why the price went up.
The Treasury collects £140,000.
The land never produces British food again.
What I don’t understand about our government, is that surely the only way to spend more is to get more tax £pounds into the exchequer? Nearly all Tax comes from workers. Yet, as a business owner with over 1200 employees I am actively trying to minimise the number of new employees I need. Why? Well first of all our government has increased the NI tax, so it now costs more to employ people. Secondly, they’ve allowed sick pay from day one and i know from personal experience some people get a job just to claim this benefit, since it’s higher than job seekers. Thirdly, business rates have gone through the roof, especially in hospitality. Fourth, Ltd company shares are now liable for inheritance tax which has heavily damaged morale for family companies. Fifth, AI is doing incredible things and all companies will be able to reduce admin and tech functions, which is a no brainer.
Once upon a time when one of my directors said we need a new person for this or that, id happily say “let’s hire three of those roles as more people will achieve more” but now confidence is so much in the toilet and it is no wonder unemployment is on the rise. Until all UK employers feel confident about recruiting and expanding their businesses I fear for our economy.
1% growth per annum is not growth in my book. We need some positivity and motivation for all of us who are prepared to work hard. 🙋♂️
Day 5. This afternoon - track sessions at the worlds most northerly permanent race track, located in the Dunderland Valley just outside of Mo i Rana, Norway, it’s 30 KM south of the Arctic Circle. Because of its extreme northern latitude, it is famous for hosting 24-hour racing events entirely in daylight during Summer. Let’s see what the Dakar can do!! 🇳🇴