Man grabs patch of land, organizes citizens and declares a brand new country
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Yahoo
42 minutes ago
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Why people on £35K should opt out of winter fuel payment by September deadline to avoid HMRC headache
People earning £35,000 or more will still receive the benefit in their bank accounts - but will then be forced to pay it back in tax. Millions of pensioners will once again receive the winter fuel payment later this year. After the government sparked uproar last winter by taking the benefit from 10 million people, chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed in June it would be restored to pensioners who have an income of less than £35,000 a year. Those who earn more than the threshold will actually receive the winter fuel payment in their bank accounts as well, though it will be taken back at a later date in tax - prompting experts to urge them to opt out of the scheme before the September deadline to avoid a potential "tax clawback headache". What is the winter fuel payment? It's money from the government to help pensioners pay their heating bills over the winter. The payment is between £100 and £300, depending on each person's circumstances, and will automatically be paid into bank accounts in November or December. People will receive letters before then telling them how much they will get and what account it will be paid into. The winter fuel payment has been one of the most contentious issues for Sir Keir Starmer's government. Last summer, it decided to limit the payment to only those who claimed pension credit in one of its first acts, aimed at balancing what was described as a £22bn 'black hole' in the public finances. This meant the number of pensioners receiving the payment was reduced by around 10 million: from 11.4 million to 1.5 million. YouGov polling suggested 57% of Britons were against this. Who is eligible? Everyone who was born before 22 September, 1959, and lives in England or Wales, will receive the winter fuel payment. What are the tax implications for people earning £35,000? The approximately two million pensioners whose annual income is above the £35,000 threshold will also receive the payment if they don't opt out - though it will be taken back in tax. The government will take the money back by either changing their 2026/27 tax code or adding the figure to their 2025/26 self-assessment return. John Havard, a consultant at tax advisors Blick Rothenberg, warned on Monday that anyone who doesn't opt out and earns even £1 above £35,000 could face a "tax headache". "A 'wealthier' individual with an income over £35,000 will be subject to a tax 'clawback', where the winter fuel payment they receive is required to be returned to the government," he wrote in a blog. Watch: Reeves on pensioners earning under £35k to get winter fuel payments "Given this will be a complex process, and just £1 of income above the £35,000 limit is enough to trigger a clawback, those in favour of a simple life will need to opt out." He said the clawback process is "potentially complex" and an "administrative headache". Havard also said people near the threshold should watch out for any small increases to their income, such as a pension payment, interest or part-time earnings that could "tip someone over the limit and cause them to fall into the clawback process". Can you opt out of the winter fuel payment? People can choose to opt out of the winter fuel payment by contacting the government. This has to be done before 15 September. Contact details can be found here. Read more Winter fuel allowance: the scammers pounce on government U-turn (The Guardian) Millions to lose up to £18,000 from pension reforms (The Telegraph) What is a wealth tax – and would it work in the UK? (The Independent)
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Democrats Schumer, Jeffries demand meeting with GOP to avert government shutdown
Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Monday called on their Republican counterparts to meet immediately to avert a government shutdown looming as soon as the end of next month. The Democratic congressional leaders, both of whom are from New York, called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, to sit down this week to discuss a plan to pass next year's budget, which would normally require negotiation with the minority party to secure the 60 votes needed in the Senate to avoid a filibuster. 'We have the responsibility to govern for all Americans and work on a bipartisan basis to avert a painful, unnecessary shutdown at the end of September,' Schumer and Jeffries wrote. The Democratic leaders noted they are willing to work with Republicans on a bipartisan basis to negotiate a budget deal that would keep the government open past Sept. 30. But they accused President Donald Trump and GOP leaders of plotting to govern without any input from Democrats and shut down the government if they don't get their way. 'Many within your party are preparing to 'go it alone' and continue to legislate on a solely Republican basis,' the Democratic leaders wrote. Government funding will expire Sept. 30. Lawmakers say to prevent a shutdown Congress will likely need to pass a stopgap funding measure when lawmakers return to Washington, D.C., after Labor Day. In exchange for their cooperation in passing new budget measures, Democrats want Republicans to agree not to turn around later in the year and pass a rescissions package cutting some of that same funding. Republicans recently voted to claw back $9 billion in previously appropriated funding and defunded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, taking advantage of the legislative loophole that rescissions only require a simple majority in the Senate, not a 60-vote bipartisan supermajority. Schumer and Jeffries are also pressing for the administration to release funding it has unilaterally held up even though it was allocated by Congress last year. Republicans have suggested they may seek to pass one or more policy bills before the midterm elections using the arcane reconciliation process, like they successfully did with Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. That measure, which polls say is very unpopular with voters, enacted draconian cuts to health care spending to bankroll tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations. _____
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man grabs patch of land, organizes citizens and declares a brand new country
Matches written piece. A 20-year-old digital designer has declared himself president of a self-proclaimed nation called the Free Republic of Verdis—located in a disputed, unclaimed patch of land between Croatia and Serbia. Though now banned from Croatia and operating in exile, he's built a government, created passports, and gathered over 400 citizens from around the world.
