Connect with us

Published

on

Centrica, the company that owns British Gas, has reported record profits for the 2022 financial year.

Operating profits of £3.3bn were recorded at the company, up from £948m in 2021, and surpassing the previous highest ever yearly profit of £2.7bn, posted in 2012.

Profit at the oil and gas producer has been helped by high energy prices. Wholesale gas costs had risen to new highs in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

Supplies have been limited since Russia’s invasion and the subsequent sanctions imposed on the country.

The financial performance at British Gas was not as strong as its parent company.

Adjusted operating profit decreased to £72m in 2022 from £118m 2021 – a 39% decline.

At the same time the company had an increase in its number of residential customers. There were 7.5 million customers, up 4% from the previous year. The government estimated that its windfall tax will raise £14bn in 2023.

More on British Gas

Payments to Centrica shareholders are to rise to 3p per share. Dividend payments of 1p per share were restored in July after a pandemic-era pause and have now been risen by 2p, upping the full-year payment.

More shares are to be bought from investors. The existing £250m share buyback programme has been expanded by an additional £300m, meaning Centrica will own 10% more of all shares currently issued.

Tax payments of £1bn were paid by Centrica during the year.

Pressure on British Gas and parent firm

As political pressure rose to tackle all time high profits, Centrica became subject to the 45% windfall tax on electricity generators.

British Gas came under intense criticism recently after an investigation revealed debt collectors working on behalf of the company forced their way into homes of vulnerable customers, including people with disabilities.

Electricity regulator Ofgem said on Wednesday that the end of forced installation of energy prepayment meters only extends until the end of March.

Addressing the issue, Centrica’s annual report said protecting vulnerable customers is a priority.

The firm has committed to donate 10% of both British Gas Energy’s and Irish operator Bord Gáis’s adjusted operating profits “to help until the current crisis is over”.

“Therefore, we were extremely disappointed by the allegations surrounding one of our third-party contractors and their approach to pre-payment customers. We immediately took action to address this and are completing a thorough independent investigation,” the company said in the results.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The boss of British Gas’ owner, Centrica, has said

But disability equality charity Scope said disabled people are facing devastating situations because they can’t afford enough energy.

“It’s obscene that energy companies continue to make massive profits,” Tom Marsland, the policy manager at the charity, said.

“Life costs a lot more when you’re disabled. We’re being inundated with heart-breaking calls from disabled people who haven’t eaten for days, who can’t afford energy to charge wheelchairs and stairlifts, but are still racking up huge energy debts.”

The record profits have also been criticised by Friends of the Environment who described Centrica as “one of the companies fuelling the energy and climate crises”.

Windfall taxes should be “tougher”, a campaigner with the group said.

“The new Energy Security and Net Zero secretary needs to step up and back growing calls for a tougher windfall tax on the excessive profits of fossil fuel companies like Centrica to help fund the investment in insulation and homegrown renewables needed to bring down bills and cut emissions,” Sana Yusuf said.

Continue Reading

Business

A pub a day to close this year, industry body warns as it calls for cut to tax burden

Published

on

By

A pub a day to close this year, industry body warns as it calls for cut to tax burden

An industry body has warned that the equivalent of more than one pub a day is set to close across Great Britain this year.

According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), an estimated 378 venues will shut down across England, Wales and Scotland.

This would amount to more than 5,600 direct job losses, the industry body warns. It has called for a reduction in the cumulative tax and regulatory burden for the hospitality sector – including cutting business rates and beer duty.

The body – representing members that brew 90% of British beer and own more than 20,000 pubs – said such measures would slow the rate at which bars are closing.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said that while pubs are trading well, “most of the money that goes into the till goes straight back out in bills and taxes”.

“For many, it’s impossible to make a profit, which all too often leads to pubs turning off the lights for the last time,” she said.

“When a pub closes, it puts people out of a job, deprives communities of their heart and soul, and hurts the local economy.”

She urged the government to “proceed with meaningful business rates reform, mitigate these eye-watering new employment and EPR (extended producer responsibility) costs, and cut beer duty”.

“We’re not asking for special treatment, we just want the sector’s rich potential unleashed,” she added.

Read more:
What is a wealth tax and how would it work in the UK?

Is a comeback on for the British pub?
Horner: Red Bull sacking came as a ‘shock’

The government has said it plans to reform the current business rates system, saying in March that an interim report on the measure would be published this summer.

From April, relief on property tax – that came in following the COVID-19 pandemic – was cut from 75% to 40%, leading to higher bills for hospitality, retail and leisure businesses.

The rate of employer National Insurance Contributions also rose from 13.8% to 15% that month, and the wage threshold was lowered from £9,100 to £5,000, under measures announced by Rachel Reeves in the October budget.

Continue Reading

Business

Trump fires tariff threats at more nations as EU ‘ready for all scenarios’

Published

on

By

Trump fires tariff threats at more nations as EU 'ready for all scenarios'

Donald Trump has revealed a list of more nations set to face delayed ‘liberation day’ tariffs from 1 August.

He has threatened tariffs of 30% on Algeria, 25% on Brunei, 30% on Iraq, 30% on Libya, 25% on Moldova and 20% on the Philippines. Sri Lanka was later told it faced a 30% duty.

Letters setting out the planned rates – and warning against retaliation – are being sent to the leaders of each country.

Money latest: HMRC issues 600,000 fines to people who owe no tax

They were the latest to be informed of the president‘s plans after Japan and South Korea were among the first 14 nations to be told of the rates they must pay on their general exports to the US from 1 August.

The duties are on top of sectoral tariffs, covering areas such as steel and cars, already in place.

Mr Trump further warned, on Tuesday, that a 50% tariff rate on all copper imports to the US was looming.

More on Tariffs

He has also threatened a 200% rate on pharmaceuticals and is also expected to take aim at all imports of semiconductors too.

The European Union, America’s largest trading partner in combined trade, services and investment, is expected to get a letter within the next 48 hours unless further progress is made in continuing talks.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Who will be positively impacted by the UK-US trade deal?

The bloc, which Mr Trump has previously claimed was created to “screw” the US, has been in negotiations with US officials for weeks and working to agree a UK-style truce by the end of the month.

The EU has retaliatory tariffs ready to deploy from 14 July but it is widely expected to delay them until such time that any heightened US duties are imposed.

Read more from Sky News:
Nvidia is world’s first $4trn listed firm
Greater risk to UK economy from Trump tariffs, BoE warns
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Trump to visit UK ‘in weeks’

It remains hopeful of a deal in the coming days but European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament: “We stick to our principles, we defend our interests, we continue to work in good faith, and we get ready for all scenarios.”

While the UK’s so-called deal with Mr Trump is now in force, it remains unclear whether steelmakers will have to pay a 50% tariff rate, deployed by the US against the rest of the world, as some final details on an exemption are yet to be worked out.

The rate is currently 25%.

Continue Reading

Business

Nvidia wins race to become first $4trn listed company

Published

on

By

Nvidia wins race to become first trn listed company

Nvidia has become the first stock market-listed company to achieve a value of $4trn.

Its share price rose by more than 2% at the market open on Wall Street to reach the milestone moment.

It was achieved just over a year since Nvidia overcame the $3trn barrier and overtook Apple, in market cap terms, in the process.

The AI-focused chipmaker has been the darling of Wall Street for many years.

Money latest: HMRC issues 600,000 fines to people who owe no tax

The value of its shares has risen by 409,825% since its market debut in 1999.

Its status has been cemented thanks to the rush for AI technology – suffering several wobbles along the way – but nothing significant when you refer to the percentage rise of the past 26 years.

More on Nvidia

The most recent pressures have come from the emergence of the low-cost chatbot DeepSeek and concerns for global AI demand as a result of Donald Trump’s trade war hitting growth.

Financial markets have been taking a more risk-on approach to the trade war since the delays to “liberation day” tariffs in April.

It’s explained by a market trend that’s become known as the TACO trade: Trump always chickens out.

Nvidia hits $4trn valuation
Image:
The milestone is reported by Sky’s US partner CNBC, seen on screens at the New York Stock Exchange. Pic: Reuters

It has helped US stock markets post new record highs in recent days.

The wave of optimism is down to the fact that the president is yet to follow through with the worst of his threatened tariffs on trading partners.

Corporations are also yet to report big hits to their earnings – a fact that is also propping up demand for shares.

If Mr Trump does go all-out in his trade war, as he has now threatened from 1 August, then that $4trn market value for Nvidia – and wider stock markets – could be short-lived, at least in the short term.

But market analysts believe Nvidia’s value has further to go.

Read more from Sky News:
Greater risk to UK economy from Trump tariffs, BoE warns
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?

Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said of its meteoric rise: “Once known for powering video games, NVIDIA has transformed into a foundational player in AI infrastructure.

“Its high-performance chips now drive everything from natural language processing to robotics, making them essential to training and deploying advanced AI models.

“Beyond hardware, its full-stack ecosystem – including software platforms and developer tools – helps companies scale AI quickly and efficiently. This end-to-end approach has positioned Nvidia as a cornerstone in a market where speed, scalability, and efficiency are critical.”

He added: “The key question is where it goes from here, and while it might seem strange for a company that’s just passed the $4trn mark, Nvidia still looks attractive.

“Growth is expected to slow, and it’s likely to lose some market share as competition and custom solutions ramp up. But trading at a relatively modest 32 times expected earnings, and over 50% top-line growth forecast this year, there’s still an attractive opportunity ahead.

“For investors, it remains a compelling way to gain exposure to the AI boom – not just as a participant, but as one of its architects.”

Continue Reading

Trending