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Record breaking
year for tax returns
MORE than 10 million tax
returns were received by the 31 January 2014 filing deadline, beating
last year's total of 9.61 million, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
revealed.
The record for the number of online returns, set last year when 7.93
million people filed over the internet, was also broken, as 8.48
million were sent online to HMRC. This represents 84.5% of all
returns received; a record breaking percentage.
With around 10.74 million 2012 to 2013 tax returns due by 31 January
2014,
this means 93.4% met the deadlines of 31 October 2013, for paper and 31
January 2014, for online. This is the highest percentage of on time
returns ever recorded. The busiest day for online returns was 31 January
2014, when HMRC
received:- 569,847. The busiest hour occurred between 4pm and 5pm on
the same day, when:- 45,706 returns; more than 12 per second; were
received.... And 21,027 people left it until the 11th hour, and filed
their online return between:- 11pm and midnight on deadline day.
Missing the tax return deadline results in a £100 late filing
penalty. There are further late filing penalties after 3, 6 and 12
months.
People who need to complete a tax return include the self-employed,
those with more than one income, and high income parents who
received Child Benefit after:- 7 January 2013.
To register for Self Assessment for the current or previous tax
years, call the Self Assessment Helpline on:- 0300 200 3310 (open 8am
to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from:- 8am to 4pm on Saturday).
City College announces new Student
Union President
THE students of the City of
Liverpool College have elected Charles King as their new student
union president. Charles is part of a newly structured Student Union
at the college, which is built on the university model, with the
president and vice president receiving an annual salary. The new
union will give students a voice in how the college is run and the
power to influence their own learning experience. Charles has a
number of plans in place to enrich student life, in particular he is
keen to support students looking to find regular part time work and
provide advice on finding jobs and filling out application forms and
CV's. Charles said:- "My role here at the college is to
improve on the student experiences and arrange fun trips and
activities. I want students to be able to enjoy their time here at
the college, to be given all the advantages and opportunities that
they deserve and wish to achieve. I can ensure that no matter what
problem or issue a student has, I will make sure I do my best to
solve it with their best interests in mind." Elaine Bowker,
CEO of Liverpool Community College said:- "We are keen to make
the college closer to a university feel, with a structured student
union which will give our students a voice and the power to
influence their own learning experience. The union will also offer a
breadth of activities to enhance the educational experience, and
offer students a rich and rewarding time at the college."
APPEAL FOR INFORMATION - RTC,
DUNNINGSBRIDGE ROAD / COPY LANE
MERSEYSIDE Police Officers
from the force's Matrix Serious and Organised Crime Roads Policing
Unit, are appealing for information following a serious road traffic
collision on Tuesday, 28 January 2014. The incident happened at
around 11.55pm, at the junction of Dunningsbridge Road and Copy
Lane, when a Peugoet 106 was in collsion with a Honda motorbike. The
22 year old male motorcycle rider was taken to hospital where he
continues to be treated for serious, but at time of publication,
they are not thought to be life threatening injuries. The driver of
the Peugeot remained at the scene of the collision and continues to
assist Police with enquiries. This stretch of road is particularly
busy and officers would urge anyone who was in the area that night
and witnessed this incident or who has any information about it to
contact:- 0151 777 5742.
APPEAL FOR INFORMATION - RTC,
DUNNINGSBRIDGE ROAD / COPY LANE
MERSEYSIDE Police Officers
from the force's Matrix Serious and Organised Crime Roads Policing
Unit, are appealing for information following a serious road traffic
collision on Tuesday, 28 January 2014. The incident happened at
around 11.55pm, at the junction of Dunningsbridge Road and Copy
Lane, when a Peugoet 106 was in collsion with a Honda motorbike. The
22 year old male motorcycle rider was taken to hospital where he
continues to be treated for serious, but at time of publication,
they are not thought to be life threatening injuries. The driver of
the Peugeot remained at the scene of the collision and continues to
assist Police with enquiries. This stretch of road is particularly
busy and officers would urge anyone who was in the area that night
and witnessed this incident or who has any information about it to
contact:- 0151 777 5742. |
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TENANTS RATE
THEIR RENTS
71% of tenants in the North
West of England rate their residential rent as 'good' or
'very good'
value for money, according to a recent poll by the UK Association of
Letting Agents (UKALA). However, 24% of tenants in the region
say their rent provides 'poor' or 'very poor' value
for money, while a further five per cent are undecided.
The findings also show that tenants in Yorkshire and Humber derive
the best value for money from their rent than in other parts of the
UK. 83% of tenants in the region rated their rent as 'good'
or 'very good' when asked their opinion on whether it
represented value for money. Just 6% perceived their rent as
'poor'
or 'very poor'.
At the other end of the scale, tenants in the South West were least
pleased with the value their rent provides, with 57% rating it as
'good'
or 'very good' and 33% rating it as 'poor' or
'very poor'.
Tenants in the North East and Wales were shortly behind, with 30%
and 29% rating it their rent as 'poor' or 'very
poor'
value for money, respectively.
The findings also show that most tenants haven't seen rises to their
rents in the last 12 months, with 72% of tenants reporting they're
paying the same or a lesser amount (3%) compared with a year ago.
The vast majority (85%) of tenants said they were happy with the
length of their most recent tenancy agreement and 79% said that
their tenancy was either renewed or continued on to a rolling
Statutory Periodic Tenancy (SPT) at the end of the previous fixed
term period.
When it comes to the end of the tenancy, fewer than 2% of tenants
said their last tenancy was ended (1%) or felt they were forced to
move out because of increases to their rent (0.6%).
Richard Price, UKALA Executive, said:- "While regional
variations exist it's pleasing that the majority of tenants are
happy with the value they perceive their rent presents.
Landlords and letting agents face a lot of unwarranted criticism for
the rising costs of living but in reality this remains largely out
of their control as rent levels are determined by the cost of
housing provision and the balance between supply and demand in a
given area. While efforts on the part of Government to foster more
construction of affordable homes remain sluggish, local letting
agents and landlords will continue to play a vital role in meeting
the demand for housing across the UK. The findings are also
encouraging for tenants; they demonstrate that rents on private lets
over the past year have remained fairly stable and that the majority
of letting agents and landlords are providing good quality,
affordable and sustainable tenancies. Finally, it is a common
misconception that a large proportion of tenants feel pressured to
move out or have their tenancy ended prematurely, so hopefully these
finding go some way to disproving this misnomer."
2 ARRESTED - ATTEMPT BURGLARY, FORMBY
MERSEYSIDE Police have
arrested 2 youths following an attempted burglary in Formby on
Wednesday, 5 February 2014. The arrest follows a call at around 5pm,
when the resident of an address in Gores Lane, heard banging from
the downstairs of her home. When she went to investigate, she
noticed 2 people run from her property. Police were called and later
that night, following enquiries in the area, 2 youths were arrested
at a nearby address. Officers would continue to urge homeowners to
make sure their homes and cars are as safe as possible during these
dark evenings. Neighbourhood Inspector Jim Atherton said:-
"Taking some simple steps to keep your home and cars safe this
winter, could help prevent you from becoming a victim of crime. Make
sure your windows and doors are locked at all times, especially if
you have a uPVC door. Try to ensure your home is well lit and set
alarms when you are out of the house." If you have any
information about this incident or require further crime prevention
advice, please contact:- 101. - The pair are according to Police,
aged 15 years from Southport and 14 years from Formby, and where
both arrested on suspicion of attempt burglary.
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