Finanse

Asda has been overtaken as the UK's cheapest supermarket for a big shop for the first time in over a year, according to new analysis. Every month, consumer choice brand Which? compares thousands of prices at eight of the UK’s major supermarkets, including Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.more

The UK economy would be 3.6% smaller by 2040 if net migration fell to zero, forcing the government to raise taxes to combat a much bigger budget deficit, a thinktank has predicted.more

International Living report identifies Greece as top retirement destination highlighting healthcare, living costs, and climate.more

HMRC is rolling out a new “penalty points” system this month that could land forgetful taxpayers with a £200 fine. The new system. proposed by the tax authority in 2024, will first be tested on around 100 taxpayers, as part of the Making Tax Digital scheme.more

Universal Credit to rise above inflation for four years and removal of two-child limit aim to reduce child poverty. Government plans to end five-week wait for initial benefits.more

Around six million low-income households will continue to receive £150 off their winter energy bills after the government confirmed its Warm Home Discount will remain for five more years.more

HMRC reminds taxpayers to file tax returns by January 31, penalties up to £900 for late submissions.more

According to the latest data from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), there are over four thousand people living in Poland who, having reached the age of 100, receive the so-called honorary benefit. Currently, it amounts to less than PLN 6,600 gross per month, according to Sebastian Szczurek, spokesperson for the Opole branch of ZUS.more

The median earnings of professional drivers in Poland last year amounted to PLN 9,000 net, and the average salary increased by over 13 per cent in two years, according to a report by the Truckers Life foundation. At the same time, the authors of the study pointed out that the industry is short of 100,000 to 200,000 employees.more

The UK’s worst-hit areas for living standards have been revealed as the government is urged to do more to boost growth across every region. Sir Keir Starmer’s renewed focus on the cost of living in the new year is “understandable”, research group Centre for Cities says, but must be underpinned by stronger economic growth.more

Yesterday, a meeting titled "Dialogue Poland – Polonia. Support and Cooperation of the Senate of the Republic of Poland" was held at the Polska YMCA in London, with the participation of representatives of this second chamber of the Polish parliament, who coordinate Polish diaspora issues.more

Water bills will rise by £2.70 a month on average from April, a year on from hefty increases for households in many parts of the country. The average annual bill in England and Wales will increase by £33 to £639, prompting calls for a "stronger safety net" for those unable to pay.more

Pubs and music venues in England will get a 15% business rates discount from April as part of a support package.more

The UK’s poorest families are getting poorer, with record numbers of people classed as in “very deep poverty” – meaning their annual household incomes fail to cover the cost of food, energy bills and clothing, according to analysis.more

Yesterday, before midnight, the 34th Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity had over PLN 183 million in its account. The final result, which is always higher than the amount on the day of the finale, will be announced by the Foundation in a few weeks.more

First-time buyers in London need a 10% deposit of around £44,800 to buy a typical home – more than double the UK average of £23,000 and over three times the amount required in parts of northern England or Scotland, according to Nationwide.more

The UK inflation rate rises to 3.4% in the year to December. Rising prices were driven partly by higher tobacco prices and airfares, the Office for National Statistics says.more

Wage growth in the UK eased to 4.5% between September and November, official figures suggest, following a sharp slowdown in private sector pay increases. The pace of pay growth for those employed by private businesses slowed to the lowest rate in five years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).more

Rent fell for the first time on record last year, new data has revealed, as the number of first-time buyers surged and less young people stay living with their parents. The cost of newly-agreed rents dipped by 0.7 per cent across the UK in 2025, according to estate agency Hamptons. It is the first rent fall over a calendar year since the agency began recording the data in 2011.more

Some people are waiting a year or more for HM Revenue and Customs to refund overpaid tax and national insurance contributions (NICs). In some cases, refunds that were previously processed within a few weeks are taking 10 months or more, an investigation by Guardian Money has found.more

The gap between London’s richest and poorest neighbourhoods is growing, with those at the top having almost £76,000 more to spend a year than those at the bottom. Households in the Leamouth neighbourhood of Tower Hamlets had an average disposable income of £107,600 after tax in the financial year ending 2023.more

A third of parents highlighted feeling more pressure financially since having a child, the Current Account Switch Service said.more

Seven in 10 parents who had child benefit suspended in an HMRC fraud crackdown last year were in fact legitimate beneficiaries who had not emigrated, the tax authority has revealed. The chief executive of HMRC, John-Paul Marks, told the Treasury select committee that 71% of those targeted, higher than the 63% previously admitted, were in error.more

TSB has launched a new current account switching offer worth up to £200. Customers who switch to a TSB Spend & Save or Spend & Save Plus account and switch using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) can earn £150, with the chance to get another £50 for deposits made in April.more

Competition among lenders suggests that mortgage rates could be cut in the coming weeks, according to brokers and analysts. In a newly-published report, financial information service Moneyfacts said "expectations are high for a booming market in 2026".more