Podcasts

What is tax? It’s a simple question. And one that Sarah Pennells discussed with Mike Hodges from accountants Saffrey Champness and Sarah Ghaffari from the ICEAW - the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, they also looked at where your taxes get spent.

Could your car be one of the UK's most stolen models? According to the latest stats, upmarket brands such as BMW and Mercedes dominated the top 10 compiled by recovery service TRACKER. However, car thefts across the board are on the rise, as head of police liaison at TRACKER, Andy Barrs, told our reporter Tom Hill.

Francois Fillon's campaign to be French President has come under further pressure after former President Nicolas Sarkozy called for an emergency meeting with Fillon. For more Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined by Aarti Shankar, policy analyst at Open Europe.

Last month the Co-operative Bank put itself up for sale because it hasn't managed to improve its finances in the way it needs to. There's no immediate threat to the Co-op Bank, and the The Co-operative Bank has been at pains to say that it is not abandoning its principles. It was and is the first - and only - high street bank to have an ethical policy. But what is the future for the bank and what are the alternatives if you want to bank somewhere that does have some principles. Sarah Pennells was joined in the studio by founder of Fairer Finance James Daley, Anthony Elliot from the Fair Banking Foundation and Huw Davies, Head of Retail Banking at Triodos Bank.

Small to medium size businesses in the UK say that their International Paypal sales have risen 34% from July to December. The online payment system says its no small part down to an increase down to devaluation of the pound since the EU referendum result. Meanwhile, rumours abound there may be a tie up between Paypal and Amazon. Global CEO Dan Schulman has admitted there's been "conversations," and analysts say a deal would benefit both companies. Paypal has 200 million users, and Amazon want to make it easier for infrequent customers to pay. Share radio's James Brydges spoke to PayPal's UK Managing director, Mark Brant, about both topics.

How happy are you in your job? A recent survey found the average UK employee ranked themselves at 67 out of 100 on the happiness scale, and that four fifths think employers are just as responsible for ensuring happiness at work. To find out what things make us happiest at work Share Radio's Sara Macham spoke to Matt Weston, director at recruitment consultant Robert Half.

Research from the Financial Conduct Authority has found that only two in five people over the age of 55 think they can tell when an investment opportunity is fraudulent. Scammers are increasingly targeting this age group because they believe they're more likely to have a lump sum of money to invest. Last year victims lost an average of £32,000 to fraudsters, which the FCA is trying to tackle with its ScamSmart campaign. To discuss the campaign and the research in more detail, Share Radio's Sara Macham spoke to broadcaster Nick Hewer.

Recruitment firm Morgan McKinley have recently released their UK 2017 Salary Guide revealing a year of mixed fortunes for professionals. Uncertainty has weighed heavy on the UK jobs market however it's not all doom and gloom especially for industries such as technology. To talk us through the figures Share Radio's Pascale Davies spoke to director at Morgan McKinley, Cem Baris.

Apparently more than 1 in 4 adults feel too stressed which is taking a toll on productivity with more days being lost due to sickness. In an effort to tackle the problem some firms such as Cisco have begun introducing wellbeing programmes for their employees. To find out more about the benefits this can offer a business Share Radio's Tom Hill spoke to health expert Jessie Pavelka who has recently partnered with Cisco. Jessie began by explaining the problems for many employees.

Sarah Pennells was joined by Financial planner David Braithwaite from Citrus Financial this morning. Today on the agenda, they discussed french firm PSA buying the European arm of General Motors for 1.9 billion pounds. Plus they look into why the chancellor is expected to increase funding for social care and provide some relief for those falling victim to business rate changes. All these stories and more on The News Review.