The New UK Laws About To Come In By Tax Season

Tax season is coming up and Budget has finished making its statement regarding spending in the United Kingdom. After Budget's statement is the announcement of possible new UK laws that may come after April 2017. Most of it deals with childcare, personal finance and almost every available financing.

NHS prescriptions are set to go up by 20 pence, which means the £8.40 rate would be £8.60 for each medicine and appliance dispensed. However, for long-term diseases including cancer, epilepsy and diabetes, together with new mothers and pregnant women, children under 16 and those who are retired and on a low income, the fee is waived.

Business apprenticeships are to increase this year. An additional new tax levy to big businesses would enable the UK to fund 3 million apprenticeships nationwide. The £3bn yearly business levies earning about £3m yearly allows smaller companies to enjoy their profits while bigger ones enable an increase in employment for the country. 

Minimum wage increases -- greatly anticipated in the country -- would see a "substantial" boost. According to Cambridge News, it is likely to increase £7.50 an hour for professionals over 25 years of age. Employees from 18-24 year olds could increase from £5.60 to £7.05 effectively. The government may also increase the pay in the next few years

UK Government Spends About £25,000 For Four Judges For Security

An estimated £25,000 had been spent to help improve the security around the house of one judge and security over the houses of three judges. The spending has increased following the 51% number of judges who daily feared for their safety while inside the court and outside into their own houses.

One court judge, not involved with the security improvements, said death threats and possible kidnapping of a judge or their family members have become common. A female judge said a man threatened to kill her after she ruled to have the spouse keep the three children and smuggled a knife in court.

According to the judge, the incidents have become common but "authorities are not recording them. Some judges are even left in closed rooms without security or court clerks, further raising concerns about the security of justices in the country.

The Judicial Attitude survey indicate that about 48% of female judges are fearing for their safety while 35% of male judges are concerned for their own lives after a ruling. According to UCL Judicial Institute Professor Cheryl Thomas, government legal aid cuts had made it faster for warring parties to engage in bickering as stress and the lack of representation make it difficult for judges to find a proper conclusion.

Deeper UK-US Relations Would Mean Conflicts In Intelligence Gathering Operations

US President Donald Trump openly supports "waterboarding" or torture in gathering information from insurgents and terrorist forces, which would mean re-igniting a "special" relationship by the UK with the United States would mean an intelligence gathering-method conundrum for UK intelligence services department MI6 and MI5 who are working closely with US intelligence.

According to a former British diplomat, it would mean intelligence gathering in conflicted areas in Asia and the Middle East would have difficulties given it would be "torn between a moral and legal obligation not to be involved with torture" yet may relent because of "their heavy dependence on the United States."

All intelligence service agencies of the United Kingdom, Canada and Europe are by their respective laws opposed to torture in intelligence gathering. According to The Guardian, they are to absent themselves from the torture room -- a typical practice during CIA intelligence gathering operations during the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.

Former MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers said torture is illegal and abhorrent and the agency -- during the 9/11 War on Terrorism campaign -- had to deal with "real, constant dilemmas" to avoid using torture-sourced intelligence but admitted it did yield useful information.