Public sector pensions remain one of the government’s largest long-term liabilities, reaching £1.3 trillion in 2023-24.[1] The civil service operates an ‘unfunded’ pension scheme, accounting for £208 billion, or 16 per cent of this total, with only the NHS and teachers’ schemes being larger. While ‘funded’ pension arrangements see employees... Read more...
The personal allowance for income tax increased sharply during the 2010s, rising by 61 per cent in real terms between 2010-11 and 2019-20. This delivered significant gains for taxpayers, lifting many on lower incomes out of paying income tax altogether. However, since 2021 it, along with a range of other... Read more...
In November, the chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, will deliver the budget. Attention will focus on the tax and spending measures announced, but alongside these, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will update its forecasts on the state of the public finances and its outlook for the economy. Central... Read more...
Pubs have been a cornerstone of British social life for centuries. However, their continued existence is now under considerable threat, with the number of pubs in England and Wales having fallen to a record low.[1] While shifting social behaviours and global disruptions such as the covid-19 pandemic have contributed to... Read more...
Financial regulators are a prominent part of Britain’s quango landscape. Operating at arm’s length from ministers, they oversee markets, firms and consumers, with their responsibilities spanning monetary stability prudential supervisions, competition and conduct. In recent years, their size and influence have grown considerably, reflecting an ongoing expansion of the regulatory... Read more...
Introduction Since its foundation, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has consistently shown the impact of taxation on the public and businesses. Today, households and companies face mounting economic pressures alongside a tax burden at its highest level since 1949-50. Inflation remains above the Bank of England’s two per cent target at 3.8... Read more...
Key findings The Covid Inquiry has become the most expensive statutory inquiry conducted under the Inquiries Act 2005, with total expenditure now exceeding £192 million since its establishment. The projected total cost of the inquiry stands at £234 million, equating to an estimated daily cost of £163,108. This represents the... Read more...
New schools comparison dashboard will allow parents to compare GCSE and A-Level results by postcode, local authority and geographical area Tool launched by TaxPayers’ Alliance, a campaign group, ahead of 31st October deadline to choose secondary schools for primary school students CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL DASHBOARD Read more...
Key findings In 2023-24, 438 quangos collectively accounted for £391 billion in public expenditure. This is equivalent to 32 per cent of total managed expenditure in 2023-24. Quangos received £411 billion in total income in 2023-24. Of this, £376 billion was government funded income. In 2023-24, there were almost 500,000... Read more...
Key findings Using market-derived assumptions for inflation and discounting produces a net present value of the Chagos agreement payments of £4.1 billion. Using market-derived assumptions for inflation produces a nominal value of the Chagos agreement payments of £47 billion, not £31 billion as forecast in May 2025 or £35 billion... Read more...
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In the 2021 budget, then chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced a freeze on the personal allowance and higher rate income tax thresholds, freezing them from 2021-22 to 2025-26.[1] This was extended to 2027-28 by Jeremy Hunt in the 2022 autumn statement, alongside reducing the additional rate threshold from £150,000 to £125,140... Read more...
Executive summary Parish councils are the most localised form of government in England, with responsibility for managing and delivering a range of hyper-local services and amenities: England has around 9,000 parish and town councils, covering approximately 91 per cent of the land area but only around 36 per cent of... Read more...
A quango is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation. While there is no single definition of a quango, the Cabinet Office classifies what it calls ‘arm’s length bodies’ (ALBs) as public sector organisations that operate outside of direct ministerial authority. ALBs fall into three main categories: executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)... Read more...
When Labour was elected in 2024 it promised to deliver ‘nothing less than a national renewal’, making a bold commitment to ‘fix our foundations and make people better off’ as well as vowing to ‘take the brakes off our economy’.[1] But nearly one year on, the prime minister’s popularity has... Read more...
Introduction The UK’s welfare system represents one of the largest areas of public spending, yet there is limited transparency on how well it serves both recipients and taxpayers. With rising welfare costs, increasing numbers of people on long-term sickness benefits, and concerns over fraud and inefficiency, there is a growing... Read more...
Executive summary Historical productivity Healthcare productivity fell sharply during the pandemic, but had been in decline even before then, starting as early as 2017-18. Productivity growth from 1996-97 to 2019-20 averaged 0.89 per cent per year: From 1997 to 2010 it was 0.68 per cent From 2010 to 2015 it... Read more...
In their financial plans for 2025-26, NHS trusts expected to spend £6.6 billion more than they had available. This spending deficit prompted a response from new NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey who called for a “fundamental reset of the financial regime” to get a grip of the situation,[1]... Read more...
NHS spending is set to reach £215.6 billion in 2025-26, rising 3.2 per cent per year in real terms from 2023-24. Even after accounting for changes in population size and age, NHS spending will be 24.5 per cent higher than it was in 2013-14.[1] Yet despite having significantly more resources... Read more...
In April 2025, the government announced that it was going to scrap the Valuation Office Agency, folding its functions into HM Revenue & Customs.[1] This followed announcements the previous month that NHS England, the ‘world’s largest quango’, and the Payment Systems Regulator would also be brought into the Department for... Read more...
Key findings The cost of the Covid Inquiry is projected to be almost £227 million. This means the cost per day would be £158,269. This is the fourth estimate of the Covid Inquiry cost by the TaxPayers’ Alliance. The first estimate, in December 2023, forecasted a cost of over £156... Read more...
The first budget of the current Labour government, in October 2024, specified economic growth as a key objective for the next five years. To achieve this, the government has argued that investment in infrastructure will be necessary. Investment in infrastructure is a positive goal as it can be a key... Read more...
A quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation (quango) is a body set up to perform a function of government while operating at arm’s length from ministers and departments. Quangos sit in a unique position between the public and private sectors. They are often granted statutory powers but are not directly accountable to the... Read more...