Cost of living set to rise due to tax hikes

Increases in taxes in the UK introduced by Chancellor George Osborne in his Budget earlier this month look set to push the cost of living up. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, the consumer price index (CPI) one-monthly rate will rise by 0.38 per cent as a result of new taxes on hot food sold in retail outlets, higher duties on fuel and rises on taxes on cigarettes and alcohol. The increase means that many people will still be feeling the squeeze, even after the dip in the top tax rate from 50 per cent to 45 per cent. Last month CPI stood at 3.4 per cent, slightly higher than had been expected and ahead of the Bank of England's target rate of two per cent. Fortunately, pay settlements do seem to be gradually improving, suggesting that the pressure might start to be relieved for some in the months ahead. Pay settlements are now at an average of three per cent, up from the 2.5 per cent recorded this time last year. Ken Mulkearn, from Income Data Services, which compiled the figures, told City A.M.: “Higher-level awards – at four per cent or above – are being made in sectors where prospects have brightened recently.”

http://www.50percenttax.co.uk/index/2012/4/2/cost-of-living-set-to-rise-due-to-tax-hikes.html

Cloud Computing Improving IT Roles. http://www.keycomputers.co.uk/company-news/cloud-computing-improving-it-roles/

Amazon and Eucalyptus join up in API agreement. http://www.ospero.com/news/amazon-and-eucalyptus-join-up-in-api-agreement/

Amazon and Eucalyptus join up in API agreement

A new technology partnership between Amazon and Eucalyptus Systems has been announced to help ease the process of moving data between the Eucalyptus data centre and the Amazon cloud. The team-up will see Eucalyptus’s private cloud technology be integrated with Amazon’s Web Service (AWS). The move will further help to reduce European firms’ fears about [...]

http://www.ospero.com/news/amazon-and-eucalyptus-join-up-in-api-agreement/

Oral Health Problems ?Three Times More Likely? For Smokers And Drinkers

Clinical research has discovered people are three times more likely to suffer from severe gum disease if they are dependent on alcohol compared to an occasional drinker. Presented in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the research also discovered when combined with smoking, the chances of developing severe gum disease further increased. While gum disease may [...]

http://www.myfacemybody.com/2012/04/02/oral-health-problems-three-times-more-likely-for-smokers-and-drinkers/

Latest Spider software released by Leica Geosystems

Users of Leica Geosystems’ Spider software suite can now upgrade to the latest version, 4.2, which will has a number of improvements and enhancements to aid with the use of GNSS RTK networks.

http://www.surveyequipment.com/news/article/latest-spider-software-released-by-leica-geosystems-182677.html

Latest Spider software released by Leica Geosystems. http://bit.ly/H7ZB6q