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Plain English campaign news articles
The lazy uncertainty of the long-winded
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- Created on Friday, 31 October 2014 11:33
We at Plain English Campaign know how empty and pointlessly complex business jargon is. Though it’s always good to have a renowned cognitive scientist behind us.
Steven Pinker, writer of many critically acclaimed books on the brain, language and behaviour, recently published a language style guide, The Sense of Style. In it, he heavily criticises office gobbledygook.
Proposed pension changes:- Tax-free or not tax-free – that is the question…
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- Created on Friday, 24 October 2014 13:34
You can tell it’s nearing election time – political parties start to make all kinds of impressive-sounding promises that might not be quite what they seem.
One promise is that from next year people over the age of 55 can use their pension pot like a bank account. They will, whenever they like, be able to withdraw lump sums from their pension funds. Of these withdrawals, 25% will be tax-free but the rest will be taxed at the normal tax rate. So, if you’re over 55 and you want to withdraw money from your pension, you won’t have to pay tax if the amount you withdraw, plus your income, equals no more than £10,000. However, if your income and withdrawal amounts combined are over the £10,000 mark, you should expect to pay tax on any money you earn or withdraw over that amount.
Read more: Proposed pension changes:- Tax-free or not tax-free – that is the question…
Last call for awards entries
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- Created on Thursday, 23 October 2014 10:46
If you are planning on submitting a nomination for our plain English awards for 2014, the closing date is 31 October 2014. You can see more details about submitting an award on the entry details page of this site.
Government regrets NHS gobbledygook
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- Created on Friday, 17 October 2014 10:49
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was on the defensive this week as 400,000 NHS staff went on their first strike in 30 years.
And it turns out that the Government’s biggest regret is the 'unintelligible gobbledygook' in NHS reforms overseen by Andrew Lansley MP.
Boris talks sense shock?
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- Created on Thursday, 09 October 2014 10:54
In an unlikely move, Boris Johnson has admitted that he and Westminster in general are full of empty waffle and jargon. To listen to him speak uncharacteristically clearly on the subject, watch this interview on Newsnight with Evan Davis on Newsnight.
