Jeremy Hunt promises ‘permanent cuts in taxation’ before pre-election budget
Jeremy Hunt has promised to help families with “permanent cuts” in tax on the eve of the budget on Wednesday.
The chancellor, who is expected to announce a 2p reduction to national insurance (NI) in what could be the last major fiscal event before the next election, said “lower tax means higher growth”.
While he did not confirm what taxes he plans to slash, Sky News understands that a cut to NI is on the cards and the 5p freeze on fuel duty will be extended.
Money:
What 2p cut to national insurance means for your pay
Mr Hunt is also said to be considering:
• A new levy on vaping products
• Help for first time buyers, such as 99% mortgages
• A tax on air passenger duty for business class travel
• Cutting back plans to increase departmental spending to save money
Labour said that whatever is announced, it won’t be enough to “undo the economic vandalism of the last decade” – and the tax burden is still set to rise to a record high.
With Sir Keir Starmer’s party ahead by around 20 points in the polls, some Tory MPs want Mr Hunt to go further and cut personal income tax with an election approaching.
This is seen as a more headline-grabbing measure that benefits more voters, including pensioners.
But the chancellor is said to have decided against this after forecasts from the UK’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), gave him less fiscal headroom than hoped.
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Patel: ‘Budget should back working people’
‘Conservatives know lower tax means higher growth’
A 2p cut to income tax would cost around £14bn, whereas the 2p cut to NI will cost around £10bn.
Combined with the 2p cut to NI announced in November, the move will save 27 million workers £900 on average.
In comments released by the Treasury on Tuesday night, Mr Hunt said: “Of course, interest rates remain high as we bring down inflation.
“But because of the progress we’ve made… delivering on the prime minister’s economic priorities, we can now help families with permanent cuts in taxation.
“We do this not just to give help where it is needed in challenging times. But because Conservatives know lower tax means higher growth. And higher growth means more opportunity and more prosperity.”
Jeremy Hunt prepares his budget. Pic: Flickr
Mr Hunt added that growth “cannot come from unlimited migration”, but “can only come by building a high-wage, high-skill economy”.
He also took aim at Labour, claiming a government under Sir Keir Starmer would “destroy jobs” and “risk family finances with new spending that pushes up tax”.
Politics latest:
Will another NI cut appeal to voters?
Tories ‘overseeing 14 years of economic failure’ – Labour
But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour is “now the party of economic responsibility” as she accused the Tories of overseeing “14 years of economic failure” with the overall tax burden still rising.
She said: “The Conservatives promised to fix the nation’s roof, but instead they have smashed the windows, kicked the door in and are now burning the house down.
“Taxes are rising, prices are still going up in the shops and we have been hit by recession. Nothing the chancellor says or does can undo the economic vandalism of the Conservatives over the past decade.
“The country needs change, not another failed budget or the risk of five more years of Conservative chaos”.
Read more:
Hunt’s task is not just to get voters on side – but MPs too
What to expect in the budget – from tax cuts to fuel duty
Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves preparing for Wednesday’s budget. Pic: PA
How will Hunt pay for Budget 2024 giveaway?
Experts have warned that a 2p national insurance cut would not be enough to stop the tax burden rising because of previously announced freezes to personal tax thresholds.
There are also questions about whether Mr Hunt can afford to pay for the measure.
He has said he will not pay for tax cuts with borrowing, meaning a combination of spending cuts and tax rises elsewhere will be necessary.
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‘Tax at highest level since WWII’
Revenue-raisers Mr Hunt is said to be considering include reducing the scope of non-dom tax relief, which Labour has said it would scrap to fund services such as the NHS.
A new levy on vaping is on the cards, as is a tax on air passenger duty for business class travel and a tax crackdown on those who rent out second homes for holiday lets.
The chancellor is also considering cutting back plans to increase departmental spending by just 0.75% a year, instead of 2%, to raise around £5bn.
While this would create more scope for tax cuts, it would likely prove controversial given the pressure already on public services, with a spate of local councils going bankrupt in recent months.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey – who will be targeting Mr Hunt’s “Blue Wall” seat at the election – described the Conservatives as “the great tax swindlers” and said they should be prioritising the NHS.
He said: “Rishi Sunak has led the economy into a recession and forced families to pick up the tab. They have no shame.
“The Conservatives must put the NHS at the heart of the budget. It is no wonder the economy isn’t growing when millions of people are stuck on NHS waiting lists, unable to work.”
Watch Sky News’s coverage of the Budget live from 11am on Wednesday.
European Union regulators are reportedly mulling a $1 billion fine against Elon Musk’s X, taking into account revenue from his other ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX, according to The New York Times.
EU regulators allege that X has violated the Digital Services Act and will use a section of the act to calculate a fine based on revenue that includes other companies Musk controls, according to an April 3 report by the newspaper, which cited four people with knowledge of the plan.
Under the Digital Services Act, which came into law in October 2022 to police social media companies and “prevent illegal and harmful activities online,” companies can be fined up to 6% of global revenue for violations.
A spokesman for the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, declined to comment on this case to The New York Times but did say it would “continue to enforce our laws fairly and without discrimination toward all companies operating in the EU.”
In a statement, X’s Global Government Affairs team said that if the reports about the EU’s plans are accurate, it “represents an unprecedented act of political censorship and an attack on free speech.”
“X has gone above and beyond to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act, and we will use every option at our disposal to defend our business, keep our users safe, and protect freedom of speech in Europe,” X’s global government affairs team said.
Source: Global Government Affairs
Along with the fine, the EU regulators could reportedly demand product changes at X, with the full scope of any penalties to be announced in the coming months.
Still, a settlement could be reached if the social media platform agrees to changes that satisfy regulators, according to the Times.
One of the officials who spoke to the Times also said that X is facing a second investigation alleging the platform’s approach to policing user-generated content has made it a hub of illegal hate speech and disinformation, which could result in more penalties.
X EU investigation ongoing since 2023
The EU investigation began in 2023. A preliminary ruling in July 2024 found X had violated the Digital Services Act by refusing to provide data to outside researchers, provide adequate transparency about advertisers, or verify the authenticity of users who have a verified account.
Related: Musk says he found ‘magic money computers’ printing money ‘out of thin air’
X responded to the ruling with hundreds of points of dispute, and Musk said at the time he was offered a deal, alleging that EU regulators told him if he secretly suppressed certain content, X would escape fines.
Thierry Breton, the former EU commissioner for internal market, said in a July 12 X post in 2024 that there was no secret deal and that X’s team had asked for the “Commission to explain the process for settlement and to clarify our concerns,” and its response was in line with “established regulatory procedures.”
Musk replied he was looking “forward to a very public battle in court so that the people of Europe can know the truth.”
Source: Thierry Breton
Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple a ‘bad actor’ with no crypto legal precedent set
US crypto exchange Coinbase has filed with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to launch futures contracts for Ripple’s XRP token.
“We’re excited to announce that Coinbase Derivatives has filed with the CFTC to self-certify XRP futures — bringing a regulated, capital-efficient way to gain exposure to one of the most liquid digital assets,” stated Coinbase Institutional on April 3.
The firm added that it anticipates the contract going live on April 21.
According to the certification filing, the XRP (XRP) futures contract will be a monthly cash-settled and margined contract trading under the symbol XRL.
The contract tracks XRP’s price and is settled in US dollars. Each contract represents 10,000 XRP, currently worth about $20,000 at $2 per token.
Contracts can be traded for the current month and two months ahead, and trading will be paused as a safety measure if spot XRP prices move more than 10% in an hour.
“The exchange has spoken with FCMs (Futures Commission Merchants) and market participants who support the decision to launch a XRP contract,” the firm stated.
Coinbase is not the first to launch XRP futures in the United States. In March, Chicago-based crypto exchange Bitnomial announced the launch of the “first-ever CFTC-regulated XRP futures in the US.”
XRP futures trading is available on many of the world’s leading centralized crypto exchanges, such as Binance, OKX, Bybit and BitMEX.
Funding rates remain negative
In late March, Cointelegraph reported that XRP derivatives’ funding rates had flipped negative as investor sentiment turned bearish.
Related: XRP funding rate flips negative — Will smart traders flip long or short?
Funding rates are periodic payments between traders in perpetual futures markets that help keep the futures price aligned with the spot price. Positive funding rates mean that long traders (buyers) pay short traders, while negative funding rates mean short traders (sellers) pay long traders.
When funding rates go negative, it means short traders are willing to pay a premium to maintain their positions, indicating strong conviction from bearish derivatives traders.
XRP funding rates remained negative on major derivatives exchanges as of April 4, according to CoinGlass.
XRP OI-weighted funding rates. Source: CoinGlass
Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple a ‘bad actor’ with no crypto legal precedent set
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao will begin advising the Kyrgyz Republic on blockchain and crypto-related regulation and tech after signing a memorandum of understanding with the country’s foreign investment agency.
“I officially and unofficially advise a few governments on their crypto regulatory frameworks and blockchain solutions for gov efficiency, expanding blockchain to more than trading,” the crypto entrepreneur said in an April 3 X post, adding that he finds this work “extremely meaningful.”
His comments came in response to an earlier X post from Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov announcing that Kyrgyzstan’s National Investment Agency (NIA) had signed a memorandum with CZ to provide technical expertise and consulting services for the Central Asian country.
The NIA is responsible for promoting foreign investments and assisting international companies in identifying business opportunities within the country.
Source: Changpeng Zhao
“This cooperation marks an important step towards strengthening technological infrastructure, implementing innovative solutions, and preparing highly qualified specialists in blockchain technologies, virtual asset management, and cybersecurity,” Zhaparov said.
The Kyrgyzstan president added: “such initiatives are crucial for the sustainable growth of the economy and the security of virtual assets, ultimately generating new opportunities for businesses and society as a whole.”
Kyrgyzstan, which officially changed its name from the Republic of Kyrgyzstan to the Kyrgyz Republic in 1993, is a mountainous, land-locked country.
It is considered well-suited for crypto mining operations due to its abundant renewable energy resources, much of which is underutilized.
Over 30% of Kyrgyzstan’s total energy supply comes from hydroelectric power plants, but only 10% of the country’s potential hydropower has been developed, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.
CZ has met with several other state officials in Asia
Malaysia also recently tapped CZ for guidance on crypto-related matters, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim meeting him personally in January.
CZ has also met with officials in the UAE and Bitcoin-stacking country Bhutan — however, it isn’t clear what those meetings entailed.
Related: Is Bitcoin’s future in circular economies or national reserves?
CZ’s latest pursuits come a little over six months after he was released from a four-month prison sentence in the US for violating several anti-money laundering laws.
Since being released, CZ has made investments in blockchain tech, artificial intelligence and biotechnology companies.
CZ also recently donated 1,000 BNB (BNB) — worth almost $600,000 — to support earthquake relief efforts in Thailand and Myanmar after the natural disaster in late April.
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