Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the economy grew by 0.7% between January and March. This is higher than their initial estimate of 0.6%, and means that the country’s emergence from recession was stronger than expected.
These figures mean that the UK experienced the fastest growth of the G7 economies in this first quarter of 2024. It is also the highest growth in a quarter since 2021 and bodes well for the economy as a whole over coming months.
Increases in GDP are seen as positive because it usually means that more money is being spent, with its desirable knock-on effects to jobs being created, better pay rises for workers, and increased tax take for the government.
See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6p2r9xzde4o
If you earn extra income from a side hustle, you could be legally required to register for Self Assessment and complete a tax return - and it’s better to get ahead of it now, rather than wait until the January deadline.
The government has announced plans to raise an additional £7.5 billion by stepping up efforts to close the tax gap - the difference between the tax HMRC expects to collect and what is actually paid.