Over five million people overpaid their taxes to HMRC in 23/24 t the tune of £3.47bn... partly due the increasing complex tax code & partly as its not alway easy to see exactly what your won tax code entails. But, unlike under-payments where the HMRC is pretty keen to rectify it, on over-payments its up to the tax payer to make an appeal & indeed HMRC claims no obligation to make sure people are paying their tax correctly. The answer: make sure you *do* understand your tax code! #tax h/t FT
It looks like Iran has successfully built a national 'walled garden' to control internet connectivity - both halting outsiders from communicating with those in Iran who are protesting, but also halting Iranians' ability to access the world wide web's myriad resources. How well this 'wall' can be maintained remains to be seen but authoritarian regimes around the world will be watching, that's for sure. #internet #censorship #Iran #politics
the Guardian
Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists
Report claims unrestricted online access will be a ‘government privilege’, limited to individuals vetted by regime
Gary Younge (UManchester) reflects on the death this week of Claudette Colvin, an early yet unsung hero of the civil rights movement in the US. As Younge points out (with much wider implications), popular history is made by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.... a message our celebrity obsessed media often seems to underplay or forget, seeing local & personal actions only though the lens of what our political class thinks. #democracy #politics #CivilRights
the Guardian
Claudette Colvin’s life should teach us this: resistance is collective, and it never stops | Gary Younge
Colvin, who died this week, made a stand on an Alabama bus nine months before Rosa Parks. When we met, her message about the struggle was clear, sa...
Its good for young people, it helps local businesses & could be a vital element in the Green Transition... no wonder the Labour Govt. is not willing to offer free bus travel to the under-22s, and similarly its not a surprise that Zac Polanski & the GPEW have hit upon this as a key policy promise in attracting young people whose travel costs can be a major impediment to both working opportunities & families' finances. #transport #greens #politics
BBC News
Green Party calls for free bus passes for under-22s
Green Party calls for free bus passes for under-22s
Something is brewing (pun intended) in the UK's coffee market; as opposed to the usual British consolidation & increasing oligopoly, for now at least the major coffee shop chains are in some difficulty as a rise in smaller chains & independents has captured the (more discerning?) tastes of younger coffee drinkers. Whether the majors can fight back (Cafe Nero is having a better time than Costa & Starbucks) is unclear, but for now market fragmentation is the dynamic. #coffee #hospitality h/t FT