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The Bank of Canada announced a cut of a quarter of a percentage point to its key interest rate last week, bringing the rate down to 4.75%.
Canada is the first country in the G-7 to cut rates following the moves in recent years to increase rates throughout the worldwide economy. Canada has been increasing rates since March 2022 to deal with inflation.
The Canada central bank felt confident that inflation is moving towards its target of 2% and so were willing to make the cut.
Economists are predicting that this will start a move across the G-7 economies to cut interest rates. This would be good news for UK businesses. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) have also recommended that UK interest rates could be cut to 3.5% by the end of the year.
See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cldd6x6gglxo
New laws from the beginning of the month make it critical for companies that rely on subcontractors, agency staff or complex labour supply chains to review their compliance procedures to identify employees who do not have the right to work in the UK.
The annual report from the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board (ABAB) shows a slight improvement in HMRC’s performance but there is a rising concern over legislative burden and continued difficulties with communication channels.
