Wake Up to Money - 15/06/2010

The OBR say the annual cost to the taxpayer of paying out of public pensions will more than double from £4 billion to £9 billion over the next 4 years. We ask Peter Westaway, former senior economist at the Bank of England and current Chief Economist at Nomura International how significant this is. The British Retail Consortium say that card companies are charging retailers about 8p for every debit card transaction, and up to 33p each time a credit card is used. They want these companies to be more open about the charges that customers could incur. Alistair Grey, BRC Director based in Brussels, explains what the charges are made up of. Just a week after Sir Terry Leahy's departure from Tesco, the world's third biggest retailer will release its first quarter figures, and analysts are forecasting a slow-down in sales. We ask Greg Hodge, Research Director at Planet Retail, what he expects from these and from future Tesco results. This year's annual computer games fare in Los Angeles is showcasing new technology, like facial readers and heat sensors, which means gamers may no longer have to use their hands to control their favourite consoles. Rory Cellan-Jones, our technology correspondent tells us all about the fare.