Ed Balls, the Children and Schools Minister, announced yesterday that head teachers from successful grammar and faith schools will be ‘encouraged’ to take a more active role in the management of failing schools. This ‘encouragement’ will come in the form of new system of ‘rewards and incentives’, with the potential... Read more...
It's not just home loans that can go critical We've been trying to uncover exactly what the government has promised to the banks. But so far taxpayers have been told very little. Still, the bankers definitely know they're on a promise, as we can see from their share... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance West Midlands has its own dedicated blog. Click here to view it. Read more...
The Fabian Society – a far-left ‘think’ tank – have published a report out today in an attempt to resuscitate the hated Inheritance Tax or, as we know it, the Death Tax. What is more interesting is the report attempts to initiate a campaign for an anti-taxpayers alliance. Yes, that’s... Read more...
If you’ve been wondering how I’m continuing to find quangos to add to this seemingly endless list (and believe me, there are plenty more where these came from…) then I just invite you to type ‘West Midlands’ in to Google. Read more...
Some publications can give more of an insight into the authors than the issue - and one such example is the Fabian Society's new pamphlet "Defending Inheritance Tax". Aside from defending a tax that has been overwhelmingly rejected by all strata of the British public, and proposing an even more... Read more...
The police today are complaining that their role is 'not recognised' as the Home Secretary didn't honour the results of their pay arbitration. It really says something that they are looking to the politicians for validation. The very idea of the police as public servants has been undermined by political... Read more...
"HM Revenue & Customs has been accused of "double standards" after the disclosure that its 83,000 staff do not have to submit receipts to cover claims ranging from meals to hotel accommodation and travel and are entitled to expenses without forking out any money. [...] Clive Gawthorpe, a UHY Hacker... Read more...
Braintree borough council has disgraced itself today. Their advert in this morning’s Guardian Society jobs page for a ‘Climate Change Manager’ is blank save for two sentences and the council logo. It measures 13cms x 19cms and has barely anything in it. The ad boasts that it’s ‘saved ink’ but... Read more...
Even if you haven't heard of Shire Pharmaceuticals or their ADHD drug, Adderall, which they describe as the "leading brand in the US market" you should still be very concerned at the possibility they might leave Britain due to high levels of tax, as is reported in City Am. This... Read more...
Blogging over on Centre Right, my colleague Matthew Sinclair discusses the emasculation of the House of Commons, as shown in the current furarce (somewhere between a furore and a farce) over the Speaker. There is a serious issue here for MPs that some of them still don't seem to appreciate.... Read more...
I blame the employers We are still reeling from the latest story of DWP incompetence: "A WOMAN who claimed a bad back made it impossible for her work was employed at the SAME Government department that paid out her benefits. Twenty-four-year-old Joanne Kirman fraudulently obtained over... Read more...
The Government must be feeling pretty hard done by this morning. They kowtowed to the green movement when they were pushing for more use of biofuels. Now that the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), which requires all car fuels to include at least 2.5 per cent biofuel - rising to... Read more...
Downing St head banging According to those overworked "sources", Darling has summoned the banks to the Treasury so he can "bang heads together" over the withdrawal of competitive mortgage offers and the failure to pass on the full quarter-point Bank of England rate cut". Does anyone... Read more...
A TPA supporter has sent us this non-job he found, as well as his response below: "Considering the state of the finances and services in West Sussex and the ever increasing demand on council tax payers, I was slightly bemused to see the above advertisement in the Sunday... Read more...
TPA supporter Tony Barnes has brought to our attention yet another example of Sutton Council wasting taxpayers’ money. Last time they were guilty of increasing executive officer salaries with an extra £11k a year, taking their pay to well over £100,000 a year. Bear in mind frontline workers are pegged... Read more...
Two stories from the Telegraph today that have a common theme. The Government have 'negotiated' a plan for energy companies to help certain householders with their fuel bills: "An extra £225 million will be provided by the six biggest energy firms over the next two years to help those who... Read more...
This week I saw two sides of the grassroots campaign. The first was in Hatfield last weekend where our Hertfordshire campaigners got a stall together at the monthly Farmers Market. We handed out bumper stickers, leaflets and our playing cards to recruit people to the campaign, which we... Read more...
We've always known that, for some people at least, high taxes are motivated by a degree of envy. The unpleasant motive of wanting to bring down the successful rears its ugly head regularly, all too often translated by the law of unintended consequences into something that harms the poor. One... Read more...
In May I will have been at the TPA for a year. In that year, I have not seen anything as disgraceful as in today’s Daily Mail. Poole Council used legislation, written and sold to us on the idea it would help track terrorists, to spy on a family they... Read more...
I suppose I ought to declare an interest in this story - I not only love lower, simpler taxes, I love chocolate teacakes. Even if I didn't, though, this would stand out as a ridiculous example of the problems a complex tax system brings. The very fact that there... Read more...
Today's The Sentinel reports: "NHS managers in the Potteries needed to cut waiting lists. So they paid £10m for 10,000 minor operations at a private hospital in Burton. But they forgot to ask local people what they thought.Now - two years and £4m later - they've still only persuaded... Read more...
Worcestershire County Council certainly haven’t been shy of spending in recent years. In our latest reports on local government expenditure we found: They were in our nationwide ‘Top 20’ for publicity spending, blowing a massive £4,076,000 on self promotion. They spent £3,575,000 on middle management (those on salaries... Read more...
The IMF has caused quite a stir this week. Its latest economic and financial outlook papers ( here and here) have predicted that the credit crisis will cost $1 trillion, GDP growth will slow dramatically, and UK house prices may fall sharply. As its chart shows, UK house prices... Read more...