Water Bills and Inheritance Tax for Farmers

BBC

A record number of people in England and Wales are getting help with the cost of their water bills. The number of people on low incomes who have been given a reduction in their bill grew last year by 250,000 to 1.6 million. They are called 'social tariffs' but newly released data from the Consumer Council for Water shows the amount people get varies widely depending on where they live. Water UK, which represents the water industry, says these are average figures with eligible customers able to receive a much higher deduction. Dan Whitworth will have the full details of this story.In a week where changes to Inheritance Tax for farmers have dominated the headlines, we’ll discuss how the changes will work and who will be affected. There's a new inflation measure developed specifically for Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Consumer Prices Index allows statisticians to compare how fast prices are rising against the UK rate. We'll find out more about how it's calculated.Plus, the listener who got a £1,500 refund on his student loan after listening to Money Box.Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth, Emma Smith and Eimear Devlin
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 16th November 2024)