 |  | By Julia Kukiewicz Staff Writer Friday, 23 May 2008 |
Money News Roundup
If you only do one thing with your money this week...
Why not beat the crunch and celebrate the bank holiday with some credit-friendly freebies?
Get a pint of Strongbow for the price of a text when you sign up to Strongbow online, your age off your bill at Malmaison hotels (good news if you’re 100) and two for one offers on tickets to Alton Towers, Chessington and Madam Tussauds when you buy from Tesco, Sky and Tetley tea.
Previous Money News Roundups
See our other recent Money News Roundups and other related news stories:
Money News Roundup (16 May 08)
A glance back at this week's personal finance news from Julia Kukiewicz, including more depressing financial news as inflation rises to 3%, how Gordon Brown is begging for another chance and why responsible customers are being cut off by credit card companies.
Money News Roundup (09 May 08)
Julia Kukiewicz looks back at the week's personal finance news and uncovers more bad news on mortgages and how NatWest appears to be losing it by giving a single monther on benefits a £5k loan to get a nosejob.
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GET ready for the bank holiday with the latest news on Alistair Darling’s antics, funny money research, the very ethical Co-op bank and great freebies.
18 Million Families out of Pocket
Eighteen million families could be around £3 a week poorer next year, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
The government’s budget problems mean finding more than £3bn a year for one-off help for households this spring looks unlikely.
Although there’s been a big one-off increase in the personal tax allowance this year it’ll result in millions of potential losers next year, said the IFS.
However, the Treasury denied that their actions would lead to financial difficulties for ordinary families:
"The increase in the personal allowance will mean that 22 million people will gain an additional £120 this year. And we are providing support at a time when families are facing additional costs,” claimed one spokesman.
New Research Reveals Pope Catholic
More astonishing revelations from the (we can only assume, lucrative) world of pointless research this week.
ChooseMoney.co.uk was still reeling from the shock of the British Insurance Broker's Association study - which revealed that drivers faced with increased car insurance premiums should shop around for a better deal – when the Co-operative bank released their own research.
That study showed that people spend more on themselves at the weekend.
Maybe we’re being overly harsh, though, because the results did come with some sound analysis.
"Many people live for the weekend,” said Maxine Xodo, of Co-operative Bank Credit Cards, while Graeme Trudgill of Biba stated: “there’s always a chance that someone else around the corner will have a better deal for you."
Analysis of the Pope’s religion is said to be in the works.
Banking Co-operating with Human Rights
Luckily, the Co-operative Bank has redeemed itself by £10 million of loan applications from sovereign wealth funds whose sponsoring regimes it deemed unethical.
Twelve of the 20 biggest sovereign wealth funds – including Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Qatar and China – are on the Co-operative’s blacklist, although the bank hasn’t revealed which countries’ investments were refused.
Co-op Bank said that it had sacrificed a total of £14 million in revenues last year by turning away business for ethical or ecological reasons.
That’s £2.3 million more than 2006.
Hopefully their good actions will result in good profits.
And Finally, if you only do one thing this week…
And finally, if you only do one thing this financial week why not beat the crunch and celebrate the bank holiday with some credit-friendly freebies?
Get a pint of Strongbow for the price of a text when you sign up to Strongbow online, your age off your bill at Malmaison hotels (good news if you’re 100) and two for one offers on tickets to Alton Towers, Chessington and Madam Tussauds when you buy from Tesco, Sky and Tetley tea.
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