
Israel Approves Increase to Budget to Cover Ongoing Costs of War
The upward revision — which comes just five months after the previous budget was signed off by parliament — underlines the heavy toll Israel's 22-month, multi-front war has taken on the country's economy, which unexpectedly contracted in the second quarter.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
11 minutes ago
- Fox News
All of the hostages need to come home now, says Shirin Yadegar
'Fox News @ Night' panelists Dr. Sheila Nazarian, Shirin Yadegar and Rabbi Chaim Mentz discuss the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal and growing pressure on Hamas.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Reeves eyes property tax raid on the wealthy
Rachel Reeves is drawing up plans for a fresh raid on homeowners in the Budget as she struggles to balance the books and grow the economy. Treasury officials are expected to push the Chancellor to consider a mansion tax on property sales as well as more radical options including annual levies that would disproportionately hit homeowners in London and the South East. It is understood Ms Reeves has ordered officials to review Britain's complex web of property taxes ahead of the Budget in order to identify ways to boost the economy. Economists have warned that the current system is holding back growth. Improving productivity will form a key plank of Ms Reeves's second Budget and changes to the property tax system are expected to form part of these plans. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) have both called on Ms Reeves to scrap stamp duty on house sales, with the think tank branding the levy Britain's 'worst and most damaging tax'. Experts say the tax discourages people from moving, with a knock-on effect for the broader dynamism of the economy. Sources said any changes would be designed to 'protect revenue', in a clear sign that taxes on higher-value properties will have to rise if the Chancellor does overhaul the system. Property taxes including stamp duty are forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to raise £15.7bn this year, rising to £26.5bn by the end of the decade. Council tax is forecast to raise £50bn this year. The desire to protect this tax income raises the prospect of the Chancellor introducing new council tax bands on the highest value properties in England, or a more radical recurring property tax on homes valued above a certain amount that could replace stamp and council tax. However, government sources vigorously denied a report in the Guardian that said the Treasury was examining proposals that would see sellers face a new 'national tax' on houses worth more than £500,000 when they sell their home. 'That's definitely not going to happen,' said one source close to the Treasury. Analysis of Land Registry data by Hamptons shows that 50pc of English home sales over £500,000 are currently in London, with a further 26pc in the South East. Treasury officials have pushed previous chancellors to replace stamp duty and council tax with an annual tax on property or land values. Such a move would prompt a political backlash. Margaret Thatcher was forced to shelve a fixed tax to fund council services in the 1990s after Conservative plans for a poll tax sparked riots. Scotland previously considered introducing a land value tax to replace council tax but ultimately moved away from the proposals in favour of higher bands of council tax. Official data suggests increasing council tax on bands F, G and H would hit more than a million homes across England and Wales. Sources close to HMRC also signalled that even simple reforms such as introducing new council tax bands could take more than a year to implement because it would take time for the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to get up to speed. Sources close to Ms Reeves said she would be looking at property taxes as part of a wider review to boost growth. The Chancellor is under intense pressure amid warnings of a black hole of up to £50bn in public finances. Sir Mel Stride, the Tory shadow chancellor, said it was clear that 'more taxes are coming' under Labour. 'This tax grab would punish families for aspiring to own their own home. Under Labour nothing is safe. Your home, your job, your pension – the Chancellor has all of it in her sights,' he said. 'Rachel Reeves will tax your future to pay for her failure.' Ms Reeves has previously called for reforms to the way Britain taxes property. Writing in 2018, she said: 'Council tax, based on 1991 valuations, is at the very least long overdue a re-evaluation and revision of existing bands – a power which could be devolved to local government to match local needs. 'We should also consider the case for its overhaul and replacement with a property tax, levied on property owners.' A Treasury spokesman said: 'As set out in the Plan for Change, the best way to strengthen public finances is by growing the economy – which is our focus. Changes to tax and spend policy are not the only ways of doing this, as seen with our planning reforms, which are expected to grow the economy by £6.8bn and cut borrowing by £3.4bn 'We are committed to keeping taxes for working people as low as possible, which is why at last autumn's Budget, we protected working people's payslips and kept our promise not to raise the basic, higher or additional rates of Income Tax, employee National Insurance, or VAT.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New Zealand central bank cuts cash rate by 25bps to 3-year low
WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand's central bank cut its benchmark official cash rate by 25 basis points to a three-year low of 3.00% on Wednesday, as policymakers sought to revive a struggling economy and buffer it from external headwinds. The decision was in line with a Reuters poll in which all but two of the 30 economists surveyed forecast the Reserve Bank of New Zealand would cut the cash rate after holding policy steady in July. The central bank has slashed rates by 250 basis points since August 2024 to underpin a fragile recovery, with inflation within its target band of 1% to 3% giving policymakers leeway to lower borrowing costs. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data