By: Callum McGoldrick, researcher at the TaxPayers' Alliance In the second of series of blogs looking at 12 things the government shouldn’t be doing, we take a look at just a few of the subsidies handed out by Whitehall, unnecessarily, expensively and often counterproductively. Indiscriminate subsidies State subsidies... Read more...
By: Jonathan Eida, researcher Taxpayers in the UK have been struggling through a cost-of-living crisis. The tax burden is currently at a 70 year high. Alongside this record tax burden, the public have faced higher levels of inflation and increasing interest rates, impacting mortgage payers. The impact is... Read more...
By: Callum McGoldrick, researcher at the TaxPayers' Alliance The UK has a record high tax burden, harming growth and hitting household budgets. But to sustainably bring down this tax burden, there needs to be a serious conversation about what the state should do, and what it shouldn't. This... Read more...
By: John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance The TPA revealed this week that the number of people paying income tax has soared by 4.5 million. This matters, because tax has a detrimental impact on people's decision-making. Workers might decide to work fewer hours or less hard, perhaps... Read more...
By: Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager Ending the year with a bang, the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s war on waste campaign had a few explosive revelations of wasteful spending across the public sector. The woke agenda now permeates every part of the public sector, at huge cost to taxpayers.The NHS... Read more...
by Jonathan Eida, researcher Holding local councils to account requires an understanding of their funding mechanisms. This blog serves to lift the lid on council funding and see what lies beneath. With this comes several significant takeaways. Mismanagement plays a significant role in defining council tax decisions. Croydon Council... Read more...
By Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager Channel 4 hangs over taxpayers like the sword of Damocles. While the corporation does not directly rely on government support for its day-to-day finances, what it does have is the assurance that should the coffers run dry, taxpayers will ultimately come to their... Read more...
Today is the London Underground's 161st anniversary, but it is unlikely many will be in a celebratory mood. The London Underground is the oldest transport system in the world, opening in 1863 with steam locomotives. It has since extended to a network which is 408 kilometres long, transporting Londoners across... Read more...
By: Mike Denham, chairman of the TaxPayers' Alliance Now that it is (almost certainly) an election year, we are once again hearing talk of tax cuts from the government. The opposition is also hitting hard on tax messages. This should be good news for taxpayers, but it is important... Read more...
By: Mike Denham, chairman of the TaxPayers' Alliance As reported in the Times last month, Guys and St Thomas’ have managed to slash waiting lists for some routine surgical procedures using an innovative system known as ‘high intensity theatre’ (HIT). Could this mean a happy new year for patients and... Read more...
The past year has been another stellar year for the TPA, even if it hasn’t been a great year for taxpayers. We’ve once again revealed massive amounts of wasted government spending and have held the public sector to account at every level. Here are our 12 highlights of the year.... Read more...
By: Penny Hampden-Turner Civil servants are once again hitting headlines, this time with the news that, not only will they have to work in the office, more of them are going to be expected to work in offices outside of London. As The Times reported, cabinet office minister John... Read more...
By Jonathan Eida, researcher Over the last few months several councils have gone bust. In this year alone, Birmingham, Nottingham and Woking councils have joined a growing list of local authorities that have issued Section 114 notices. Our research this week sheds light on the potential impact of councils going... Read more...
by Elliot Keck, head of campaigns “Change? Why do we need change? Aren’t things bad enough as they are?” This sentiment, originally expressed by the Victorian prime minister, the Marquess of Salisbury, is often shared by taxpayers whenever potential tax reforms are announced. The trend is for taxes to... Read more...
By: Darwin Friend, head of research Our latest research, mandarin millionaires, reveals the enormous pension pots of the UK’s 20 leading civil servants. These bureaucrats running UK government departments are sitting on a combined £21 million nest egg, with an average of £1.1 million per person. Needless to... Read more...
by Jonathan Eida, researcher The autumn statement was a mixed bag for taxpayers. Here we set out the good and bad bits from the budget. Five good things: Full expensing tax break for businesses The Chancellor announced that businesses will be able to deduct the full cost... Read more...
By: Rory Meakin, research fellow What should chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, do on tax at today's autumn statement? The TPA's Single Income Tax outlines our ideal taxation system. But here is how he could make a start: Acknowledge how damaging the tax burden has become and how it's choking off... Read more...
by Penny Hampden-Turner Following a relatively light King’s Speech, many are naturally looking to Labour’s policies to see how they contrast. One potential pledge from Labour has pricked the ears of parents who have children in, or are planning to send children to, private school. This is Labour’s promise... Read more...
By Jonathan Eida, researcher Tuesday marked King Charles’ first King’s Speech. Amongst all the pageantry came the political agenda for the coming months. There was little for households bearing the weight of a 70-year high tax burden to feel overly enthusiastic about, but here are four things that stood... Read more...
by Benjamin Elks, operations manager The World Health Organisation seems to be compensating for recent failings over COVID-19 by focusing on inconsequential, trivial issues, much like an overzealous parent. In the current climate of increasing tobacco restrictions, some may not be surprised to learn that the WHO is advocating... Read more...
by Elliot Keck, head of campaigns It’s safe to say that the covid inquiry this week has been more heat than light. It’s been entertaining for sure, and more expletive-laden than an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. But what have we really learnt? It’s difficult to argue with... Read more...
Taxes aren’t going up, the chancellor insists. That would be difficult to stomach at any point, but particularly during a cost of living crisis, when the tax burden is one of the biggest strains on household budgets. It’s made even worse when there’s endless reports of the enormous waste that... Read more...
By: Joanna Marchong, intern at the TaxPayers' Alliance The Tax Foundation has published its updated figures for the annual International Tax Competitiveness Index. The purpose of the report is to compare and rank how well OECD countries promote economic growth and investment through competitiveness, dictated by the effectiveness of... Read more...
By Benjamin Elks, operations manager When the prime minister stood up at the Conservative Party Conference, he promised to set out his vision of change for the country. Perhaps the most radical proposal from Sunak was a plan to create a “smoke free generation” with the age for... Read more...