MONEY MORSELS

Tax bill demand

AROUND 1,100 taxpayers face unexpected tax demands after letters from HM Revenue & Customs went astray. HMRC has written to around 40,000 people it believes used controversial loan schemes in the 1990s and 2000s to reduce their tax bills, according to accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young. But 1,100 letters never arrived. Those affected will still be liable to pay what they owe.

Car insurance hike

DRIVERS face rising car insurance costs due to Brexit uncertainties, data suggests. Average premiums have crept up by 0.3 pc in the past month and by 1 pc for over-50s, according to data analysts Consumer Intelligence.

A spokesman says concerns around import costs for spare car parts after Brexit may be behind the rise.

Average premiums are still down 6.7 pc over the year.

Dental cost rise

NHS dental costs in England will increase by 5 pc from Monday. The price of band one treatments, which includes a check-up, will rise from £21.60 to £22.70. Fillings and tooth extraction, which fall under band two, will cost £62.10 rather than £59.10. If you need a crown or dentures fitted you will pay £269.30, up from £256.50. This does not apply to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which set their own charges.

Payment blunder

AROUND 36,000 retired civil servants will see their pensions cut by up to £700 a year as a result of a payment error made decades ago. The administrator of the plan, Civil Service Pensions, is contacting those affected. Members who have been overpaid will not have to repay the money.

Brexit ad banned

A LOAN ad which encourages stockpiling food for Brexit has been banned. An email from Cash on Go, trading as Peachy.co.uk, read: ‘We do not want to believe that Brexit will impact the amount of food available but it’s still a good idea to have a little stockpile ready.’

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled it put ‘inappropriate emotional pressure on readers’. A Peachy spokesman says it was done ‘in good faith’.

Mental health debt

MORE than 1.5 million people in England with mental health issues are struggling with problem debt.

Those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are almost six times more likely to be in serious financial difficulty, according to the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute.

People who are bipolar or suffer from depression are five times more likely to be in debt.

The charity is calling on the Government to ensure banks, energy and broadband suppliers offer fairer deals to those struggling.