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While the average household pays £16,700 in direct tax on income, our audit shows this is just the tip of the iceberg. We all pay a multitude of other taxes, from air passenger duty to environmental levies on our energy bills. Lee Boyce, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss what the total sum is - and that our tax rate is more like 57%. And tax rises don't always bring in more cash for the Treasury coffers. As the Government weighs up introducing yet another tax — this time a wealth tax — we explore why despite the allowance being slashed the capital gains tax take is down and what it means for the Chancellor's plans. How much you need to feel wealthy in different areas of Britain? Does £1 million still cut it? The six burning questions everyone is asking financial advisers right now… and their expert answers. And we answer a reader query: 'Could I give £250 gifts to 400 people who then pay them to my daughters to beat inheritance tax on £100,000?'

The Fed’s Inflation Conundrum & an AI Billionaire Battle RoyaleThe Fed kept rates flat this week, Apple and Amazon reported earnings, and we have the biggest names in AI battle it out for supremacy.Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman and Jason Moser discuss:- The Fed’s decision to hold rates steady- Apple and Amazon earnings- AI billionaire battle royale- Stocks on our radar & Companies discussed: Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Cloudflare (NET), PayPal (PYPL), Microsoft (MSFT).Host: Travis HoiumGuests: Lou Whiteman, Jason Moser

The Federal Reserve holds rates steady for now, but an ever-evolving trade and tariff picture raises questions about for how long. Also, Meta Platforms and Microsoft earnings suggest no slowdown in AI spending. Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren, and Jon Quast discuss the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep rates steady, a shift in smartphone production, Microsoft and Meta Platforms commit to continued elevated capex spending and who will be the next $4 trillion company? Companies discussed: Meta Platforms (META), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia (NVDA) Host Rachel Warren;;Guests - Lou Whiteman, Jon Quast

Rory McGowam is joined by Laurence Kemball-Cook, CEO & Founder of Pavegen. Laurence talks to Rory about how he has designed a system to convert our footsteps into electricity. With walkways popping up all over the UK and across the globe, could this be the solution to the energy crisis and a key tool in the fight against climate change? https://www.pavegen.com/

Summer holidays are a good time to take stock and deal with serious levels of fatigue. Adam Cox helps you to re-connect with times when you didn't fell so drained of energy, and to give new meaning to previous events which might have seemed traumatic at the time. A pre-supposition of hope can re-kindle resources and give new meaning to things in the past, and can help to re-build a positive self-evaluation for looking forward.

James Cameron Wilson says box office is up 17%, though most films have dropped as #1 The Fantastic Four: First Steps took in £8m. The plot may not be unduly original but there are lots of incidental pleasures, with a humorous script and a realistic family dynamic: Vanessa Kirby gives the film a human dimension as her character is expecting. #3 The Bad Guys II is an animated sequel in the mould of Ocean's Eleven but the dialogue is lazy and the film noisy and frenetic. However, James celebrates a glorious 4K restoration of 1952's High Noon, "the Western for those who don't like Westerns" starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. It looks wonderful and some of the extras are superb.

Steve Caplin laments Google's new AI search which means far fewer people will ever click on links. ChatGPT apparently causes psychosis but could also be far more useful for admin tasks such as planning holidays. Meta is to build a data centre the size of Manhattan and has developed a wristband that can control a computer. The first UK air taxi flight has just taken place. The Sirius AI robotic dog can do tricks and is trainable, but cuddly it is not. An atomic clock is now accurate to 1 sec in 57.6bn years.

Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the move by Macron, Starmer and Carney towards recognising a Palestinian state. While largely a symbolic gesture which presents a number of complicating factors, the Netanyahu goverment is clearly losing support in the West. Discussing the doctor's strike, with a call for a 29% rise after getting 22% last year and West Streeting's tough language, Mike feels they may be overplaying their hand. He finds Donald Trump holding court during his UK visit fascinating but thinks Starmer is better than most leaders at handling Trump. As the ONS confirm the second highest population increase since WW2, Mike points out that without migration the population of many Western countries would fall. He finds himself deeply suspicious of the rhetoric of many politicians on the right on this topic.