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Economy and business environment articles

Read our latest features and articles on the economy and business environment.
Displaying 1-30 of 602 results
Free CPD: Getting started on global trade
  • Article
  • 07 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Branching out into international sales can feel like a big step, but it holds many opportunities. Your ICAEW membership offers access to resources that will expand your export knowledge and confidence this International Trade Week.
ITW: Five steps to identify new trade opportunities in volatile markets
  • Article
  • 07 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Importing or exporting to new territories can be risky, especially when global conditions are volatile. Here’s a step-by-step guide to assessing an opportunity.
A selection of graphical charts
Chart of the week: Retail sales in Great Britain
  • Article
  • 07 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week breaks down the £529bn of sales made by retailers in England, Wales and Scotland in the year to September 2025.
International Trade Week: Imports and exports – who pays the VAT?
  • Article
  • 06 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The rules governing import and export VAT are fraught with complexity. Mistakes can be a significant cost to businesses if they get this wrong. We answer some of the most frequently asked questions on VAT and trade.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers a Budget scene setter speech at No 9 Downing Street on 4 November 2025. Picture by Kirsty O'Connor / Treasury
The Chancellor’s speech: can Reeves deliver growth and raise taxes?
  • Article
  • 05 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
If business tax rises are inevitable, they must at least be phased in over time if we don’t want to stifle growth, says ICAEW.
International Trade Week: How volatile geopolitics is affecting customs compliance
  • Article
  • 05 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
SMEs must include measures to comply with the world’s complex web of trade rules in their risk-management control environment, says a senior economist.
International Trade Week: How to nail customs compliance as an SME
  • Article
  • 04 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Ian Worth, of Crowe UK, explains why it is vital for SMEs in the UK to have the knowledge for accurately completing customs declarations for goods they import and points out that they must observe Rules of Origin for those they export. This article is part of a series of articles for International Trade Week.
International Trade Week: Keep track of changing trade regulations with the EU
  • Article
  • 03 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
In the first of a series of articles for International Trade Week, we break down the main changes in EU import and export rules.
Wind turbines on a wooded hillside at dusk surrounded by clouds
What the booming net zero sector means for accountants
  • Article
  • 30 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
CBI Chief Economist Louise Hellem explains how the UK’s net zero industries are making an increasingly significant contribution to economic growth.
London Westminster
Influencing policy to support you: October 2025
  • Article
  • 30 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
This month, ICAEW submitted representations for the upcoming Autumn Budget and on the draft Finance Bill on reforming inheritance tax and the role of tax agents.
A group of people sat down round a table having a meeting
ICAEW member insights October 2025: mixed bag for manufacturing
  • Article
  • 30 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Members expressed views in line with the latest Business Confidence Monitor results, though there were some small positive signs in specific sectors.
Houses of Parliament at night
ICAEW calls for clarity on LLP NICs rumours
  • Article
  • 27 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Recent newspaper reports suggest that the Chancellor is considering changing the treatment of LLPs for NICs purposes.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Economic update: why the Budget is casting a long shadow over the UK economy
  • Article
  • 24 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The UK economy struggles to grow in October. Business confidence continues to fall amid record high concerns over tax ahead of next month’s Budget. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications, what you need to know about current economic conditions and key points to watch.
A selection of graphical charts
Chart of the week: US federal finances FY2025
  • Article
  • 24 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at how the US federal government is funded and what it spends its money on.
Economy explainers: how is property taxed?
  • Article
  • 23 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Tax Faculty
Taxes on transactions in, and income from, land and buildings are a frequent topic for pre-Budget speculation. ICAEW’s Tax Faculty explains the rules currently in place for taxing property.
A pair of hands typing on the laptop keyboard
Government deficit hits £100bn in the first half of the financial year
  • Article
  • 22 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Revisions and corrections help reduce the budget overrun to £7bn for the six months to September 2025, but the outlook remains bleak.
A pair of hands typing on the laptop keyboard
Handing AML supervision to FCA will increase costs for business, warns ICAEW
  • Article
  • 21 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The government’s plan for the Financial Conduct Authority to hold responsibility for ensuring accountancy and legal firms comply with anti-money laundering rules will cause confusion and increase compliance costs, says ICAEW.
Huw Pill, Chief Economist at the Bank of England, speaking at ICAEW's Annual Conference 2025 on 17 October
Bank of England must evolve, says its Chief Economist
  • Article
  • 21 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The current agenda for UK monetary policy has all the features of a ‘wicked problem,’ Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill tells delegates at ICAEW’s 2025 Annual Conference.
Jobs and investment at risk if business taxes increase, warns ICAEW
  • Article
  • 17 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
More than half of business leaders surveyed by ICAEW said they would freeze recruitment or cut roles if the Chancellor announces tax increases next month.
A selection of graphical charts
Chart of the week: tax burden rising
  • Article
  • 17 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week shows how tax receipts as a proportion of national income have risen significantly since the turn of the century, begging the question as to whether taxes are too high or the UK economy is too small?
A person holding a tablet device displaying various graphs
Is AI the cure for economic stagnation?
  • Article
  • 14 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
While economic growth is a priority for the UK Government, there are still doubts about whether technology and AI can truly serve as a saviour. Swedish economist Carl Benedikt Frey explores the key to economic success and increased productivity.
How should the UK rethink regulation to support growth?
  • Article
  • 13 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Regulations must be designed to foster productivity and innovation, and watchdogs must collaborate more effectively with businesses, an ICAEW roundtable event heard.
A selection of graphical charts
Chart of the week: the cost of (government) borrowing
  • Article
  • 10 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at the cost of government borrowing by country based on 10-year government bond yields.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Business confidence hits three-year low
  • Article
  • 09 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
A record 60% of firms are worried about the tax burden, a tenfold increase over the last five years, according to ICAEW’s latest Business Confidence Monitor.
A selection of graphical charts
Chart of the week: GDP revisions
  • Article
  • 03 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at how a large upward revision in GDP for 2024/25 translates into a relatively modest 0.1 percentage point increase in economic growth per year since the pandemic.
No increases in business taxation or no growth, warns ICAEW
  • Article
  • 30 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW’s Chief Executive Alan Vallance is calling on the government to act now to support growth, arguing that there should be no new business taxes or increases in existing taxes this parliament.
London Westminster
Influencing policy to support you: September 2025
  • Article
  • 30 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
This month, ICAEW engaged with ministers to address issues ranging from employment rights and pensions reform to trade, inheritance tax and business growth.
Chart of the week article thumbnail image for 25 September 2025
Chart of the week: Productivity
  • Article
  • 26 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at how productivity growth has slowed significantly over the past quarter of a century and asks what can be done to turn it around.
Group of people around a table having a meeting
Economic update: why the UK economy is struggling for momentum
  • Article
  • 24 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The UK economy continues to struggle as inflation remains uncomfortably high, and the labour market continues to weaken. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
A pair of hands typing on the laptop keyboard
Public finances turn ugly just as Chancellor needs good news
  • Article
  • 22 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Weaker receipts than expected combined with prior month corrections resulted in a £12bn year-to-date budget overrun in the August monthly public finances.
Displaying 1-30 of 602 results
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