Other than perhaps estate agents or bankers, it’s hard to think of a group of people more unpopular than Britain’s political class. Votes for fourth parties – of both green and purple stripes – are often explained by disillusionment with the Westminster elite, amidst a festering sense that the representatives... Read more...
The Times’ Philip Webster’s “Red Box” email briefing this morning carried some interesting polling in light of calls for more funding of the NHS (which I discussed on this site last week). Read more...
New Office for National Statistics figures published this week have shown that the Government is on course to fail to meet its deficit reduction target again. Indeed, so far, the deficit is higher now than it was this time last year. Excluding financial markets interventions, public sector borrowing hit £11.8 billion... Read more...
“NHS needs extra cash and overhaul” scream the headlines today, with NHS England boss Simon Stevens making the case for an additional £5bn in funding per annum to stave off a funding crisis. Read more...
The BBC has reported upon the cuts being made to the Arts Council for Wales (ACW) in a recent article. The article, which was constructed to act more as a pre-emptive tug at the heart strings of theatre goers, suggests that the £300,000 cut to the budget would represent “potential problems” for... Read more...
Just weeks after the TaxPayers’ Alliance campaigned against Air Passenger Duty (APD) at Bristol Airport, the unpopular tax on holidaymakers has become a political hot potato in the region. Last week, the chairman of Cardiff Airport tabled an amendment to the Wales Bill in the House of Lords, asking for the devolution... Read more...
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls wrote in today’s Evening Standard about his alarming Mansion Tax plan. So, Mr Balls, can you answer these nine questions: Read more...
News broke this week from The Treasury that the “tax gap” between what is owed to HMRC and what is actually collected hit £34 billion last year. It’s an eye-catching figure and it understandably makes the millions of taxpayers who pay every penny they’re asked wonder why they bother. Read more...
This report highlights payments made in Special Responsibility Allowances (SRA) to councillors in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. SRA are taxpayer-funded allowances paid to councillors, above their basic allowances and expenses, for taking on additional responsibilities. These can be divided into constitutional duties, such as chairing a scrutiny or regulatory committee, and... Read more...
After another successful year, it’s time once again for our Annual Review. In our tenth year, we’re trying a new format – quite obviously inspired by our Chief Executive Jonathan Isaby’s journalistic past! Read more...
While students are forced to take part-time jobs to help pay their way through university, some of the top staff at Plymouth University are enjoying the high-life at the expense of the taxpayer – including first class rail travel, designer chairs and a trip to Miami. Read more...
Yesterday’s strikes by NHS workers elicited strong responses from patients, NHS workers and politicians. Nurses and midwives were understandably put front and centre of the unions’ campaigns – the public tend to prefer NHS nurses to NHS bureaucrats. Read more...
Will Company Tax still exist in 20 or 30 years' time? Good question. I don't know. But I'd like to find out the answer. Read more...
Extensive data study over the past ten years finds that foreign aid spending has no bearing on the freedom of ordinary people, the press or business in developing countries Ground-breaking report gives developing countries a “freedom score” and contrasts that with the amount of bilateral foreign aid given by the UK... Read more...
A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies has called for National Insurance to be abolished. The report, NICs: The End Should Be Nigh, recommends replacing employee’s National Insurance Contributions and Income Tax on earned income with a new ‘Earnings Tax’. It also calls for employer’s National Insurance to be... Read more...
It was revealed this week that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have – again – managed to get millions of tax bills wrong. It’s hardly a surprise that even the professionals can’t administer our overly complicated, 17,000-page tax code. Read more...
Strange goings on in Plymouth with the City Council paying out £10,000 a day to costly temporary managers in order to pursue a project aimed at saving money. “It seems to me at this moment in time Plymouth taxpayers are being asked to take a tremendous leap in the dark in the... Read more...
The Liberal Democrats have proposed an increase in Capital Gains Tax (CGT), currently charged at 28 per cent for higher and additional rate taxpayers. They claim increasing the rate to 35 per cent will raise and extra £500m to fund an increase in the personal allowance in 2015-16. Read more...
Norman Lamb MP – the Liberal Democrat Minister for Care and Older People – gave a very interesting speech at the party’s Conference in Glasgow earlier. Ostensibly a speech about the NHS, Lamb made a few points which are worth picking up on that suggest the TPA’s campaigning on the deficit,... Read more...
I wrote for the Telegraph on the implications of the Prime Minster’s tax announcement at the Conservatives’ conference in Birmingham: Read more...
The place to be at this Conservative Party Conference certainly wasn’t the Main Hall. Read more...
Responding to the Prime Minister’s speech at Conservative Party Conference and the announcement of two major taxation policies, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: Read more...
Responding to the Chancellor’s speech at Conservative Party Conference, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: Read more...
UKIP today announced a number of new policies, the details of which can be found here. Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, responded by saying: Read more...