When ten Conservative councillors were deselected a couple of weeks ago, I and many others thought that at last justice had prevailed. An panel of senior Conservatives looked at applications from everyone who wished to be a candidate. Some - including cabinet members - were interviewed. Evidence was taken and... Read more...
TPA supporter John Martin explains why there is much discontent within the ruling Conservative group at County Hall. One of the principal concerns of the TPA is that public money should not be squandered, or spent in an improper or ill-advised manner. But it is also anxious to see that... Read more...
<br /> //<![CDATA[<br /> function ShowHide(){<br /> $("#research-topic-date").animate({"height": "toggle"}, { duration: 400 });<br /> }<br /> //]]><br /> Over a number of years the TaxPayers' Alliance has produced pioneering research into public spending, taxation and broader economic policy. In areas such as public sector remuneration and quangos, TPA research now... Read more...
Non-jobs are (thankfully) getting harder to find. There is also a vast reduction in the amount of government jobs on The Gurdian website too. Instead of over 500 a few months' ago, this week it is down to 122! The government is not very good when it comes to IT... Read more...
Treasury minister David Guake caused outrage yesterday by announcing a range of measures to raise £2bn. The legislation harshens the tax treatment of intra-group loans and derivative contracts and has been given immediate effect. It also addresses the use of trusts to lower income tax and national insurance liabilities and... Read more...
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) remains controversial as it forces changes in legislation that the British public and politicians do not want, such as allowing prisoners to vote. This new research, based on a detailed investigation of cases that the British Government has lost, provides new insight into... Read more...
Following the MPs' expenses scandal in 2009, we were vocal in highlighting the need for an overhaul to provide a better deal for taxpayers. The latest expense revelations pour fresh doubt on MPs’ priorities. While some have got the point, others are continuing to make bizarre claims. Generally the scandalous... Read more...
There are many people in Britain who are facing redundancy. Many do not know if they will still be working after Christmas. This is the economic reality, and they also know the redundancy payments they will receive will be at a minimum. Companies cannot afford to pay more as they... Read more...
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has warned that the coming decade may be seen by history as a decade of decline for the West. In an interview with the Guardian he highlighted the rise of Asian economies and the West’s failure to rise to the challenges and opportunities that rise... Read more...
Today, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced the government’s plan to roll out broadband for everyone across the UK. Mr. Hunt said that in the next seven years £830m of public money will be made available and BT said that it will match any of this funding that it receives with... Read more...
Last Thursday, there was a flurry of snow on the streets of Bath. Thanks to the swift gritting of the roads in the centre of the city by the council, my wife could drive our children to school, the postman could deliver our mail and even the recycling truck could... Read more...
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, allows you to see when new content has been added to the TPA site. You can get the latest blogs and research, as soon as they are published, without having to visit the site itself. To read RSS feeds, you will need a Reader, a... Read more...
There is a fine line between taxpayers' money supporting free expression in the arts, and it funding political work that bolsters a particular viewpoint. With ordinary taxpayers' money tight there clearly need to be sharp cuts in support for the arts. It would just be intolerable for poor families to... Read more...
The report sets out how councils raise £328 million a year through parking fines. Click here to read the report Read more...
A quick update on events in the East Riding. Last week, I reported how our campaign against a £364K discretionary payment to a senior council officer resulted in ten councillors being deselected by the Conservative Party. This week it has been announced those councillors have appealed against the decision. Nine... Read more...
Click here to read the full reportClick here for the full press release We can today reveal for the first time the true extent of taxpayer funded environmental campaigning in the UK and the European Union. This sort of campaigning pushes the case for green taxes and distorts decision making... Read more...
To be a truly competitive economy, the UK must have a competitive tax system. The EU and other international organisations like the OECD and the IMF have promoted policies that would restrict tax competition. The Instituto Bruno Leoni in Italy have today released a paper that outlines a robust case... Read more...
Councils across the country are having to rein-in spending. This we know. We also know some councils, have been doing this for years, providing frontline services & lowering council tax at the same time. It can be done. North East Lincolnshire Council is conducting a budget consultation, asking residents' opinions... Read more...
The Treasury has just published the interim Hutton Report on Fair Pay in the Public Sector. Back in the summer the Treasury commissioned Will Hutton "... to investigate pay scales across the public sector, and make recommendations on how to ensure that no public sector manager can earn more than... Read more...
On his Telegraph blog yesterday, Daniel Hannan summed up why Keynesians are wrong in eleven words:“Consumer demand is a consequence, not a cause, of economic growth.” Hiwa Alaghebandian goes into more detail, explaining why policy-makers should focus on Gross Domestic Income rather than Gross Domestic Product, in this short video:... Read more...
The quality of teacher training in Scotland was criticised yesterday. Poor quality candidates are apparently making it in to the profession. In response, Tony Axon of the lecturers' union UCU said:"People may complain about spelling and grammar but these days we sit at a computer which works out much of... Read more...
Yesterday we heard that the Government wants to overhaul the Controlled Foreign Companies Tax (CFC). This is good news, as it may help stop businesses from moving overseas to more receptive economies. If firms move out of the UK then the Treasury will lose tax revenue, jobs would be lost... Read more...
One simple solution to create jobs and revive the economy may be to cut VAT. At least that is what Andy Cosslett believes. Cosslett, Chief Executive of the Intercontinental Hotels Group, said that “cutting VAT will create jobs” After Christmas many consumers feel broke, but this year their pockets may... Read more...
We've blogged the fiscal Doomsday Machine many times (eg here). It's triggered when a government's debt interest payments grow so large that it starts to borrow increasing amounts simply to pay its interest bill. Just like with a credit card, such borrowing feeds on itself and can soon spiral out of control. Yesterday's... Read more...