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Vienna summer study programme shows what makes the city tick

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For nine years running, Vienna has been named the best city to live in – and two study programmes taking place this summer help capture the stand-out factors which help make the Austrian capital so desirable.

The Alternative Economic and Monetary Systems (AEMS) summer school and Green.Building.Solutions. (GBS) offer insight, fact-finding visits and the latest thinking from a city which has consistently taken the top slot in the Mercer Quality of Living City Rankings.

AEMS takes place this year between 25 July and 10 August, and GBS between 21 July to 12 August.

The OeAD-Housing Office – part of Austria’s national agency for international mobility and cooperation in education, science and research – operates both AEMS and GBS under a not-for-profit arrangement.

Included in the fee are all social and cultural activities, as well as accommodation in one of OeAD’s passive house student residences in Vienna.

The accommodation is also included as part of the fee for almost a week following each programme, enabling those participants to explore the city at leisure.

Günther Jedliczka, CEO of the OeAD-Housing Office, said: “Both AEMS and GBS attract exceptional lecturers and forward-thinking, astute students who are committed to a more sustainable future.

“AEMS draws in a global following among students of all ages and from all walks of life who are looking for a common solution to tackle financial uncertainty.

“It looks at alternatives to the current boom and bust economic cycle and explores the economy of the future and how it can adapt to balance some of the turmoil, strains and challenges of modern life.

“GBS is another international programme, which brings together passive house and sustainable, smart city expertise from across the globe to identify ways to make buildings more sustainable.

“It receives applications from students and professionals alike in the field of architecture and professions relating to the built environment, who want to learn how to develop new skills to design and build sustainable cities in an environment that includes workshops, lectures, fact-finding visits and insight from world-leading academics.”

The course cost for AEMS is €1390, while GBS is priced at €2,490 for professionals and €2,000 for students.

More details about both AEMS and GBS – including testimonials from 2017’s participants – can be found at www.summer-university.net

Places are limited and the deadline for applications for both programmes is 30 June, 2018.

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Almost six million claimed back in tax by construction workers

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UK construction workers have claimed back almost £6 million in overpaid tax this year, according to figures from tax recovery specialist Brian Alfred.

The leading tax recovery firm for workers using the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) or Pay As You Earn (PAYE) schemes, has reclaimed rebates of more than £5.7 million in the last 12 months.

Derek Kelly, CEO of Brian Alfred said: “It’s been another big year for rebates, with almost six million reclaimed for our clients, and to be honest that’s the tip of the iceberg. Around a third of workers on PAYE and CIS schemes are overpaying tax, but often don’t reclaim money which is rightfully theirs.”

Since Brian Alfred started they’ve recovered more than £36 million in overpaid tax and Derek added: “Workers often forget to claim back expenses such as travel, uniforms and equipment they’ve had to purchase or even food bought during their working day. There’s a huge range of work expenses where you can claim back the VAT and end up with a nice windfall.

“On average, workers who come to us recover around £1,500 in tax rebates. This year though we saw some rebates as big as £10,000!”

Brian Alfred has broken down the average rebate claim by region over the last 12 months. Workers in Northern Ireland came out on top, receiving an average of £1,979 from the HMRC as a result of overpaid tax. However it was a worker in Gloucester who received the biggest windfall of £10,200 from the HMRC.

The breakdown on tax rebates by region is as follows:

Northern Ireland £1,979.16

South West £1,727.93

Greater London £1,712.99

Wales £1,706.50

North West £1,683.09

South East £1,681.96

Scotland £1,678.07

East Midlands £1,635.61

North East £1,635.27

West Midlands £1,631.61

Workers who are either part of the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) or Pay As You Earn (PAYE) are all eligible to apply and rebates can be claimed for the last four tax years.

Derek added: “You can claim refunds for a range of things, but regulations are complicated, and it can take an expert to get the correct amount of rebate from the HMRC.”

Brian Alfred is one of the UK’s leading CIS and PAYE tax rebate specialists and has helped thousands of people get their tax rebates, some in as little as 24 hours.

To find out if you could qualify for a tax rebate visit their free online tax rebate calculator www.brianalfred.co.uk/calculator

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