Even a recession cannot dull the national appetite for beer and fun, as pub chain JD Wetherspoon proved today. The firm announced record first half profits of £36.2m from its estate of more than 700 pubs, up more than 40% on the previous year.

Unveiling its results, Wetherspoon criticised government attempts to reduce drunken behaviour. "The crackdown on pubs may actually exacerbate the problems of binge drinking," said the firm. "It has resulted in more drinking, especially by young people, in the unsupervised environments of parties, streets and parks."

Could public finances be in even worse shape than already suspected? We already know the economy is in a bad way. Biggest peace-time deficit, banks on verge of collapse, triple A rating under threat etc. Now an influential report says the government underestimates the scale of difficulties.

The report claims that additional tax rises or spending cuts of £20bn a year (over and above what we already know about) will be needed within three years. The government is also too optimistic in its economic growth predictions, suggests report author PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The Budget will take place on March 24, in what is expected to be the opening battle in the general election. Today's confirmation of the Budget date suggests the government is planning on May 6 for the election.

The imminent election means this year's Budget is likely to be more of a balancing act than ever. The Labour government is on a rock (the need to prove it is serious about cutting record levels of public borrowing). It is also close to a hard place (the need to woo the electorate and win votes). Neither aim is particularly compatible with the other.

They were at the forefront of musical innovation for decades. The band that pioneered psychedelic music in the 1960s. They introduced us to rock music in the 1970s. They redefined album cover art.

But the era of on-line music is presenting challenges for Pink Floyd, as for many in the industry. The band has taken EMI, its record label since 1967, to court in a dispute over the calculation of royalties for sales over the internet.

It might sound a little calculating, not to mention downright paradoxical. But if you want to save on your tax bill, consider giving money away. As they say, giving is a form of receiving. Nowhere is this more true than in the UK tax system.

"Making charitable donations through the gift aid system is very tax efficient for both the charity and individuals who are higher rate tax payers," says Jason Butler of Bloomsbury Financial Planning.

Scrimping. Saving. Pinching pennies. Whatever you call it, many of us are doing it. Nearly a third of the population has cut down on everyday luxuries such as eating out, theatre and cinema. A fifth of us are spending less on holidays. The same proportion has switched to cheaper supermarkets.

Amid so much frugality, you might think we would all pay as little tax as possible. Wrong. We are set to waste a collective £9 billion in unnecessary tax payments, reveals a financial website.

Sales of 'enhanced' annuities rose by an astonishing 24% last year. But what on earth is an 'enhanced' annuity, I hear you ask. Want to know the bad news? The only people who qualify for 'enhanced' annuities are those who can prove they are one step closer to the Grim Reaper than the average pensioner.

We're talking smokers, the overweight and those with 'serious medical conditions', here. People one step closer to the executing that funeral plan than the typical pensioner. As euphemisms go, the phrase 'enhanced' annuity should take the biscuit. It makes it sound like you're getting a great deal. What you're actually getting is closer to death.

Just over four weeks to go until the new ISA year. This is traditionally a time when you can find attractive rates on these tax-free investment vehicles. Firms dangle these rates in an attempt to woo last-minute savers in this tax year.

A moneynet.co.uk ranking reveals that Santander offers the best rates for instant access ISA products, (3.5%). Barclays has crept into second place (at 3.1%). "The ISA market is really taking shape as we approach the annual hot bed of activity as providers look to lure savers yet to make their move in the current tax year," said Andrew Hagger of Moneynet.co.uk.

The Welsh are most likely to tip in restaurants, while the English are least likely. Despite their dour reputation, Scots are most likely to tip all the time. Those shy Northern Irish are most reticent in asking who gets the tip.

Just some of the statistics from a government campaign launched to promote better transparency in tipping. Nearly four in five consumers (79%) tend to tip, according to figures from the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation (DBIS). But only a fifth of them ask what happens to their tip (21%), something the government is campaigning to change.

The cost of borrowing money should be falling, right? Given record low interest rates and dwindling savings rates. Not to mention all the government's efforts to keep money pumping around the financial system. Wrong. it's not falling. In fact, it's the reverse. Borrowing is getting more, not less expensive.

A fifth of small businesses have seen the cost of existing borrowing rise in the last two months, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Of those, a minority (6%) say the cost has risen by as much as 15% or more. Considering that small businesses are reckoned to be the lifeblood of the economy, that is bad news.