The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) today criticised the Government for using taxpayers' money as an easy way out, and urged them to explore other solutions that would limit the amount of our money at risk. With taxpayers' money on the line, the TPA demands guarantees that our money will not be... Read more...
Our non-job of the week, one of the 681 on offer in government today, is a swipe at the quangocracy governing our nation without democratic accountability. From the Improvement and Development Agency: “Regional Associate£100,000 – more for an exceptional candidate As a regional associate, you will be the... Read more...
Cllr Stephen McLoughlin – who awarded himself a 34% pay increase this year whilst creating a £2.4million over spend – has replied to conservative criticism on ConservativeHome in relation to his council’s overspending we blogged about here. Let’s fisk it: SM: Bournemouth Borough Council is a unitary authority with... Read more...
The Birmingham Post reported today that a city councillor, Martin Mullaney, wants a scruntiny committee to quiz union representatives to see whether they give value for money when carrying out their duties, after discovering through the Freedom of Information Act that such reps cost local taxpayers £1.4m. Mullaney quite... Read more...
At the Conservative Party Conference, The Freedom Association ran an excellent installation on the conference fringe called The Freedom Zone, a centre for free speech (and free bacon sandwiches!) with a great series of fringe meetings. One of those meetings, organised by the Selsdon Group, on Freedom from High Taxes... Read more...
Let's hope Darling's read the book If today's reports are to be believed, the government is all set to inject £50bn of taxpayers' money into bank equity. It's being trailed as taking a leaf out of Warren Buffett's book, the legendary superstar of investment who "saved" Goldman Sachs by putting... Read more...
TPA activist Bruce Lawson has emailed over a letter he found in his local paper (click to enlarge). A concerned taxpayer has gone through his council’s job site to see what exactly is on offer. What a good idea that is to expose the true cost of local government!... Read more...
With the government's poor record on losing data and throwing good money after bad, it came as somewhat of a surprise this morning to learn that the Home Office has funded the first stage of a plan to introduce a new £12 billion scheme to monitor all emails and calls,... Read more...
In the middle of a financial crisis, business tax may not seem like the most important issue, but politicians should ignore it at their peril. Today's FT reports warnings by the chief executive of WPP, which recently moved its tax domicile to Ireland, that more companies will create new holding... Read more...
First there was public execration at local councils fining people for dropping sausage roll crumbs. Then there was uproar as town hall busybodies used anti-terrorist legislation to snoop on dog walkers. These two incredible encroachments into individual private space resembled an overwhelming show of force from the state. Now... Read more...
South West Surrey Organiser Peter Webb gives us his September campaign diary. A big thanks to him for all his hard work which we appreciate so very much: Backed by Anne Milton MP we had attempted to get into dialogue, similar to that operating with Surrey CC, with all... Read more...
The Libertarian blogger Torybear guest blogs here on the big-brother state: Now I’m not a regular reader of any local paper but when this little advertisement was drawn to my attention I had to frame a copy. This is a new low in the nanny state’s control over... Read more...
Your very own grassroots coordinator went to two conferences this year, the UK Independence Party Conference and the Conservative Party Conference to preach the virtues of a low tax society (as well as signing up new supporters to the campaign). UKIP gave the TPA an opportunity to make a... Read more...
With Sir Ian Blair's resignation there have been a flurry of accusations - most notably from the Home Secretary - that he was pushed for "political reasons" by the Mayor, and criticisms of policing being a political issue. No doubt this is meant to sound like a condemnation, but is... Read more...
Labour's spendaholism must be reversed At the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham George Osborne announced his abandonment of fiscal rules. Instead, he will establish an "arms length" quango to monitor public borrowing and debt, and blow the whistle if the situation looks like it might be unsustainable. Unfortunately, that will... Read more...
Quangocrat alert! Quangocrat alert! Yes, the non-job of the week has yet another six-figure taxpayer-funded salary, one of the 700+ jobs in government on offer this week. Here you can read our non-job of the week from Leicester City Council: “Chief Executive, Economic Development CompanyThe post up to £124k... Read more...
New poll: Public want tax cuts and no more green taxes New research: Average family faces £668,000 lifetime tax bill - up 6% - and poor families suffer 13% tax rise The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) today publishes stark new polling and research evidence that, with the credit crunch... Read more...
This week the regional and national media pounced on a story that truly reflects the reckless and inappropriate attitude of some of the people who have access to public money. According to yesterday’s The Sentinel, at a time when many people are having to forsake family holidays and trips... Read more...
At the Conservative and Labour conferences I spoke at events on the subject of food miles. The idea that consumers should pay great attention to the distance food has travelled from the producer to their plate. Food miles are one of those concepts that can sound important to some politicians... Read more...
George Osborne’s policy commitment to freeze Council Tax for two years is welcome. It’s a start, in the very least, to reducing Council Tax for Britain’s families. Yet in the Evening Standard yesterday, a chain-gang of councils marched out to reject any Council Tax freeze, claiming it would lead to... Read more...
There is always a huge amount going at the party conferences, and this year's Tory conference in Birmingham (where I'm blogging from) is no different. Certainly for the TPA we've had a whirlwind of leafleting, networking and promoting the tax cuts message. In between the main conference events and... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) welcomed George Osborne's plans fora council tax freeze, and invited the Shadow Chancellor to take up theTPA's numerous proposals on how savings can be made. Matthew Elliott Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: ... Read more...
Sometimes you get the impression that some people have got so used to wasting other people's money that they can't see anything else it could be used for. An irate letter in yesterday's Middlesbourgh Evening Gazette from Cllr David McLuckie, Chairman of the Cleveland Police Authority, is a case in... Read more...
In this, the middle of conference season, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has already made appearances at the UKIP Party Conference and the Labour Party Conference. They will be stirring up the dust again this coming week with several speaking engagements at the Conservative Party Conference. With this much on the schedule,... Read more...