...and finally

Grab an international holiday bargain but don't forget lunch!

Save up to £2,000 on an overseas holiday

With Scottish schools now back at school, flight comparison site, Skyskanner, calculates you can save up to £2,000 on an overseas holiday if you fly from Glasgow.

Skyscanner looked at Virgin Atlantic flights to Orlando and found that flights from Glasgow were less than £600 per passenger, flying from London was over £700 while flying from Manchester was almost double the price at a whopping £1,087 each!

Gareth Williams, CEO of Skyscanner commented, “Many airlines have to slash prices to fill planes after the schools go back, but with the difference in the timing of the academic year north of the border, English families can take advantage of greatly reduced prices if they are prepared to fly from Scotland”
 
“Obviously you need to factor in the cost and extra time of getting to Scotland which may not be a viable option for many, but for families based in cities in the North of England it is a very real option and can save hundreds of pounds”.

Let them eat cake!

The UK Government may take the UK further out of line with virtually all major European countries by removing tax allowances to employers that can encourage workers to eat a proper lunch.

Employers can currently claim 15p (0.18 Euros) on luncheon vouchers they provide to staff. In Germany employers receive €3.10 per employee per day: the French Government allows € 5.21 Euros; in Italy the allowance is €5.29; in Switzerland €5.80; in Belgium it is €5.91 Euros and in Spain the allowance is a remarkable €9.00 per employee per day.
 
Following a Budget announcement by the Government in the Spring, there is at present a consultation period before UK tax relief is due to be reduced to zero in the 2012 Finance bill.

According to research by Bupa published earlier this year, UK companies are losing close to £50million a day in lost productivity as workers fail to take a lunch break. Bupa Clinical Director of Occupational Health, Dr. Jenny Leeser, also recently said: “In challenging economic times, the UK work force is in overdrive and the lunch break is falling by the wayside. Instead of taking a break to refuel, workers are using props including chocolates and sweets and caffeinated drinks to get them through the day.”