The Government is defending new taxes on everything from pensioners' incomes to Cornish pasties on the grounds that they need to make the tax system fairer and simpler. Unfortunately the Chartered Institute of Taxation has taken a look at the Finance Bill, the legislation that implements the changes announced, and found... Read more...
If you buy a touring caravan, VAT is paid at the standard rate of 20 per cent. If you buy a static caravan, VAT is zero rated. In his Budget last week, George Osborne decided to bring static caravans in line with touring caravans. Simplifying the tax system is a... Read more...
I have written a follow up letter to HRMC today, following the re-classification of donations made to Ken Livingstone's campaign in light of the questions relating to his tax affairs. The letter is reproduced below, and you can read my original letter to HMRC here. The letter from the Electoral... Read more...
In January last year, it was reported in The Guardian that Camden Council, along with others like Lambeth, were displaying posters in bus shelters informing residents that cuts to services were a result of cuts in government grants. In a propaganda war, using taxpayers money, those councils were trying to... Read more...
Fury continues to grow over the pasty tax in Cornwall. Ever since the Chancellor first announced his decision to impose VAT on hot take-out food in last week’s budget, the pasty industry has been counting the cost. Greggs, the popular bakery chain, had £20m wiped off its share price as... Read more...
If you were to go on the streets of any town or city in Northern Ireland and ask people if they think politicians should get a pay rise, I don't think you will find many who would agree. Yet this is what is about to happen.Currently, MLAs receive a basic... Read more...
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today published a report showing the difference in the average hourly pay of public and private sector workers. It shows that the pay gap was around 8 per cent in 2011, with the public sector coming off better. It is staggering that, despite... Read more...
Some readers may remember Alan Bradley, a Coronation Street character who met a sticky end in front of a Blackpool tram. It seems Blackpool Council is concerned something similar could, erm, happen again. Blackpool's Comedy Carpet was unveiled by Ken Dodd last year, and was constructed at a cost of... Read more...
It has been revealed that taxpayers have paid £137,000 for staff members at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to take 64 away-days in the past year. There’s a real need to find savings and cut unnecessary spending, but BIS has spent an exorbitant amount on corporate away-days.... Read more...
Back in 2010, I posted a blog on the fact that ebooks are taxed at the normal VAT rate while regular books are VAT free. Since that post VAT has risen to 20% and, disappointingly, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has yet to remove VAT on eBooks. It is still ridiculous... Read more...
Many thanks to all the TPA supporters and activists who met on Saturday to campaign for greater transparency from Nottingham City Council. We collected signatures for our petition calling on the council to publish details of spending above £500 online.The afternoon was covered by the BBC for East Midlands Today.... Read more...
Writing for Politics.co.uk, Emma explains how George Osborne is now casting the net wider and wider to tax more of the things we all enjoy with his Big Fat Gypsy Budget. Read more...
Cornwall Council is set to double the cost of council burials, but local outrage has forced it to think again. Its plan is to standardise burial fees across Cornwall, but this means vast new increases in parts of the county hit worst by the recession, including Helston, Redruth, Camborne and... Read more...
I recently received an e-mail from one of our new supporters. He sent an e-mail to his friends telling them he had joined the TPA, and urged them to do the same. Here are some of the points he made: I am exasperated at the inability of the government to... Read more...
This morning the TPA and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) brought together a number of economic commentators to discuss yesterday's Budget. They looked at the key measures announced and the prospects for economic growth and the public finances, with both praise and criticism for different parts of the Government's plans,... Read more...
When it comes to wasting taxpayers' money, Tameside Council has form. We have previously exposed the money it wasted on an iPhone app and walking lessons for staff, to name but two. Now the council intends to spend £75,000 moving the Tame Valley War Memorial 35 yards!Moving the memorial inside... Read more...
At the Budget, George Osborne announced that, as well as increasing the personal allowance, he would freeze and over time work to remove the age-related allowances as a way of simplifying the tax code. Since then those changes have become known as the "granny tax" and it appears they may... Read more...
Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, offered this reaction to the Budget: "There is a lot of good news in the Budget for families who have struggled in the recession. The cuts in corporate and top rate taxes will improve the incentive to invest and innovate, meaning higher... Read more...
It looks like at the Budget we’ll have the announcement of new property taxes. Reports suggest there will be a higher stamp duty rate for high value properties. That would be a repeat of the same approach taken by Gordon Brown more than once. Some commentators are applauding it as... Read more...
How much do you know about how the Government spends your money? With fierce public debate about where savings can be made, who will win or lose from spending cuts and big figures grabbing headlines it's easy to lose sight of the fact that all that money comes from hard-working... Read more...
The National Audit Office (NAO) has this morning confirmed what the TPA has said for some time: that Government Procurement Cards (GPCs) do have the potential to save money but that current procedures are far too lax, and that Whitehall departments have become complacent in their oversight. The NAO report... Read more...
Regular readers will know about the appalling record of Nottingham City Council regarding transparency. It is the only council in England not to publish spending above £500 online. It pays scant regard to Freedom of Information (FoI) legislation too. Last year, Anna Bailey told us how an amazing 40 per... Read more...
Another report emerged last week that the Olympics budget will vastly exceed initial estimates. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recently came out with a report which claimed that the Olympics will cost over £11billion. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), of course, claims that costs will remain under... Read more...
In a report last November, we highlighted how we pay £18.1 billion in excessive motoring taxes. In September 2011, tax accounted for 60% of the pump price of petrol in the UK, the highest of any EU country. Last Saturday we were out campaigning in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, calling on George... Read more...