The budget deficit is coming down, but more slowly than hoped. The weakness of corporation tax receipts is a prime cause, as David Smith reports
George Osborne’s Budget measures took attention away from the state of the public finances. There is a long way to go before they are back to health, David Smith writes
George Osborne will present his fifth Budget on 19 March in the context of an improving outlook for the economy. David Smith looks at what might be in store
Ed Balls has pledged that a Labour government will restore the top rate of tax to 50%, risking that the party will be seen as anti-business. David Smith reports
The prospects for 2014 are good, with growth set to exceed 2013’s unexpectedly strong performance. But interest rates should stay low, David Smith reports
Growth is back and it is confounding the gloomy predictions of a few months ago. Better still, there are reasons to believe it will last, as David Smith reports
George Osborne’s deficit reduction programme looked to have stalled just a few months ago. Recent evidence suggests it is starting to get back on track, David Smith writes.
Mark Carney, the new Bank of England governor, has only been in the job for a few weeks. But he is already in a battle to convince the markets of his strategy, David Smith reports.
Income shifting by top rate taxpayers appears to have had a significant impact on the public finances, with the rate cut from 50% to 45% increasing income tax receipts, says David Smith
This month's spending review will demonstrate that the government is still dead set on reducing the deficit, reports David Smith