Throughout 2012 we have tried to recognise those in power who have done both the right and the wrong thing by the taxpayer with our monthly Pin-Up and Pinhead awards. We are therefore delighted now to put nominations for Pin-Up of the Year and Pinhead of the Year to a... Read more...
Two West Country councils are locked in battle over local car parking charges. North Somerset Council wants to introduce parking charges in council-run car parks in Nailsea—but Nailsea councillors agree with local traders and residents that this will be a tax on shopping and local business that will be bad... Read more...
Anthony O'Sullivan became chief executive of Caerphilly Council in late 2010. Although his annualised salary of £123,665 was around £8K lower than his predecessor's, he didn't seem to grumble that he was underpaid, although just before taking up his new job, he did write a confidential note recommending a £15K... Read more...
Some Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) are in the news this week, however it's not for their crime fighting plans. In a report in the Mail on Sunday, 16 out of 41 PCCs have said they will appoint deputies. The legislation does allow for this, however it appears the way... Read more...
Bristol's newly elected mayor, George Ferguson, is to be congratulated for emphasising the importance of saving taxpayers' money. In an election which showed a local distaste for traditional political parties, the independent Ferguson was the runaway winner. Before the election, a panel of local government bureaucrats had decided that this... Read more...
The House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has suggested Air Passenger Duty (APD) on short-haul flights should be eliminated. The tax was said to be a “major stumbling block” to rebuilding the Northern Irish economy. With the Autumn Statement tomorrow, my colleague Rory Meakin earlier suggested that the Chancellor... Read more...
George Osborne will deliver his Autumn Statement to Parliament tomorrow and is expected to bring grim news about his progress towards balancing Britain's books and getting the economy back on track. So what should he say to bring relief to struggling taxpayers and restore balance to the public finances? He... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance joined up with local retailers and councillors in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, this morning to campaign for a freeze in Business Rates. With the Chancellor of the Exchequer due to give his Autumn Statement tomorrow afternoon, independent shopkeepers sent George Osborne and MPs a message: business rates are... Read more...
At the TaxPayers’ Alliance we believe in smaller government, lower taxes and less burdensome regulation. We believe in these fundamental principles for all people in the UK and abroad. Which is why we are closely watching the outcome of this week’s World Conference on Information Technology (WCIT) in Dubai. The... Read more...
Why does a council pay £85,000 a year in rent, to house a library that's barely used, located in a sports stadium built and paid for by taxpayers? Don't ask me; ask Hull City Council. When Kingston Communications was floated in the stock exchange, Hull City Council cashed in some... Read more...
The NHS Commissioning Service in Leeds has a range of opportunities on offer that are supposedly designed to make the patient experience better. Whether this will mean Mrs Jones gets her hip operation sooner rather than later, is yet to be seen, although if her operation is cancelled, she can... Read more...
Yesterday’s Telegraph revealed the full extent of the 50p tax folly: the number of people declaring income of £1 million or more in the UK fell by more than 60 per cent in the 2009-10 financial year. Unless it was Gordon Brown’s intention to rid the country of unwanted millionaires,... Read more...
Last year, a vote was held in Hull on whether to retain the Business Improvement District (BID) in the city for another 5 years. To be approved, BID proposals must receive both a majority of votes cast, and a majority of rateable value with businesses in the area. Local Authorities... Read more...
The Chancellor announced in the last Budget that the Government will look into integrating "the operation of National Insurance" with Income Tax. But fiddling with the operation is not enough and the Government's repeated delays on both their pensions white paper and National Insurance consultation suggests that something bolder might... Read more...
Many of us enjoy a drink after work, or on the weekend. But it might soon become a little more expensive to unwind if the Government has its way. The Adam Smith Institute released a report yesterday on the minimum pricing of alcohol. This would mean the introduction of a... Read more...
The TaxPayers’ Alliance is joining forces with Bath’s Small Business Focus (SBF) campaign group to oppose an extension of parking charges in Victoria Park at the heart of the historic city. Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council want to introduce charges on roads inside the park that previously allowed... Read more...
Friday's Independent carried details of globe-trotting MPs leaving their constituencies without representation for long periods of time. Mark Hendrick MP spent over 100 days outside the country and at one point spent a month in Beijing learning Mandarin. Some foreign travel may be justifiable in the interests of informing an MP’s... Read more...
The overall burden on companies of Britain’s tax system has risen up 2 places in a world ranking compiled by the World Bank and PwC. It’s not often that British taxpayers get something to smile about and our smiles won’t be that wide at this news, either. We’ve climbed up... Read more...
TPA activists are on the streets of York today to protest about the propsed Council Tax hike in the city. Here are a few snaps from the day so far. Read more...
At a time when many residents are struggling with the rising cost of living, Council Tax is second only to VAT as the most burdensome tax for the poorest households. The Government has offered local authorities a grant if they freeze Council Tax next year. However, York City Council has... Read more...
There is outrage at the University of Bath at the eye-watering increase in wages awarded to their vice-chancellor and other senior managers—while other university staff are expected to take real term pay cuts. Despite complaints from the University and College Union (UCU), the university remuneration committee has ignored popular dismay... Read more...
Councils wasting our money isn’t anything new, but they do keep finding new and imaginative ways of doing so. And they don’t come more imaginative than this new role at Northgate High School in Suffolk: they are looking for a team of “Proof Readers and Copy Editors” who will be paid... Read more...
The London Evening Standard reported last week that councils in the capital spent £23 million on publicity last year, including advertising and publishing free newspapers. Tower Hamlets spent £3.2 million on publicity alone last year, while Kensington and Chelsea also made the list of 11 councils that spent over £1... Read more...
Pensioners, the self-employed and other groups would benefit from our proposal to abolish National Insurance, I explain at ConservativeHome:For decades, lancing the ugly boil of National Insurance from the none-too-pretty face of the British tax system has been on the wishlist of tax reform campaigners and payroll professionals. The complicated... Read more...