POUND NOTES

FINANCIAL FACT

MORE than 10,000 tax returns were submitted online in total over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, figures show.

On Christmas Day, 2,590 self-assessment returns were submitted – with a further 7,655 submitted on Boxing Day, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said. People who need to complete and submit online self-assessment returns need to do so before the deadline on January 31.

MORTGAGE APPROVALS FOR HOUSE PURCHASE REACH 15-MONTH LOW

THE number of home-buyers receiving mortgage approvals hit a 15-month low in November, according to a high street banking report.

In the same month that the Bank of England base rate was hiked from 0.25% to 0.5%, the number of mortgage approvals for house purchases stood at 39,507 – the lowest figure since August 2016. But there were also 33,670 re-mortgaging approvals – higher than the average seen over the previous six months and a 24% increase compared with November 2016, the figures, released by trade association UK Finance, show.

DAMAGE WOES FOR SMARTPHONE USERS

MORE than half (54%) of people with a smartphone admit to having damaged their phone beyond repair at some point, research has found. A third (33%) who had damaged their phone admitted to having been under the influence of alcohol at the time.

Those aged between 25-34 were most likely to have damaged a phone, with 74% having damaged it beyond repair, according to the survey from gadget insurance comparison provider Protect Your Gadget.

WE SPEND £124 A MONTH ON ‘LITTLE LUXURIES’, SURVEY FINDS

PEOPLE spend £124 per month on average on ‘everyday’ luxuries, including ordering takeaway meals, taking taxis rather than public transport and buying clothes that we hardly wear, a study has found.

Scottish Widows said one-ineight (12%) people admit to not tracking their incidental spending at all and having no idea how much they could be splashing out on non-essentials.

A third (33%) of people say they spend less in January – cutting back by an average of £109 during the month.