Cash ISA

The new tax year starts today, and while in the past the cheers were for the new ISA allocation, today it's time to pop open the champagne for a huge change that means for all but bigger savers an ISA now holds little point.

A MoneySaving couple from Colchester have told how they became two of the first people in the country to benefit from the Help to Buy ISA scheme after exchanging contracts on a house.

Banks will soon be forced to give savers clearer information about easy access savings account interest rates – something MoneySavingExpert.com has argued for for years – after the financial regulator approved a package of measures to be introduced in December 2016.

Savers hoping to be able to put more cash in an ISA from next April have had their hopes dashed as today's Autumn Statement reveals the annual threshold will remain the same.

Fourteen banks and building societies have now signed up to offer Help to Buy ISAs ahead of the scheme's launch next month, the Chancellor has announced.

Savers may be able to switch cash savings to a new account quicker in future, while providers may also be forced to alert customers to changes in interest rates – something which MoneySavingExpert.com has argued for over the last decade.

Individuals and businesses who owe more than £1,000 to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may have their funds raided for the money owed.

What would you tweak about the UK? Your first instinct may be 'a flat rate of income tax', 'independence for Cornwall', or 'free university education for all'. Yet I'm not talking about big contentious change – this is about quick fixes for life glitches.