A bit of pub philosophising here – or rather the outcome of a discussion at the weekend over a few jars – but what would get this country further up in arms over all issues relating to tax? One gem is to abolish what is called ‘withholding’ – the... Read more...
Extravagant spendthrifts Sandwell Council continue to splurge on unnecessary frills as they agree to blow £14,000 on a motivational speaker who will lead a two-day seminar for their managers. It’s somehow fitting that the event will take place in the notoriously over budget The Public art gallery in West... Read more...
Interesting piece on ConHome saying that the Conservatives might drop their pledge to match Labour's spending plans from 2011. As ConHome says: "At most there'll be a pledge to match spending for one extra year if the election is called in 2010. ConservativeHome has campaigned against the renewal of the... Read more...
Back in May we wrote about the looming winter of discontent (PDF). Public sector pay costs have rocketed in recent years, with a 34.9 per cent rise in public spending on pay above the average earnings index. Despite that, over the same period, workers in the public sector have gone... Read more...
KPMG's new corporate tax rate survey has just been published. It shows that, despite the cut in the UK's headline corporation tax rate to 28 per cent, the UK still has the 8th highest rate in the 27 EU countries. The global average corporation tax rate is now 25.9 per... Read more...
Just as the credit crunch kicks in, and hard-working taxpayers really start to feel worse off, most would judge it an inappropriate time for public bodies to be proposing extra taxation, and reminding the public of expensive projects they’re keen to channel public money into, but the Midland Metro is... Read more...
The Local Government Association have argued that, as energy companies have increased their dividends this year, their profits are not necessary to make investment possible that can secure more affordable energy for British consumers in the year to come: "LGA's acting chairman, Sir Jeremy Beecham, said the figures showed that... Read more...
Today's FT reports that Kent County Council is spearheading a move by local authorities to pool resources to buy fuel in the futures market. With local authorities spending over £2 billion of our money on fuel each year, excluding petrol and diesel bought by private contractors, there is clearly scope... Read more...
Well, it's here. The incredible economic package that is going to turn around the Government's electoral fortunes. Read more...
The Scottish National Party have moved to replace council tax with a Local Income Tax. That policy has come under considerable fire north of the border. The Scotsman, in particular, has printed "25 reasons why Alex should drop local income tax". One of the biggest problems with council tax... Read more...
The residents of Wolverhampton trust their council to distribute varying amounts of money to volunteer and community groups, and with any luck, monitor just how this money is spent. Typically the funds will go to centres for the disabled, refuges for victims of domestic violence, youth theatres and religious groups.... Read more...
Today unemployment statistics have reached a 16 year high. So government’s solution must be to cram as many into government jobs as possible and remain completely oblivious to the problems of packing the unprofitable sector and leaving the taxpayer to foot the bill. As you’ll see from the table on... Read more...
The Birmingham Post reports today that Birmingham City Council have made £950,000 in efficiency savings. This may sound like a step in the right direction, but the sort of 'efficiency savings' implemented by local authorities can very often further compromise the services available to residents. Indeed, Birmingham City Council... Read more...
It’s fast approaching the first anniversary of the Conservative announcement to raise the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold to £1 million. With near perfect timing the Telegraph has an article this morning saying the Conservatives will raise the IHT threshold to £2 million. Under the policy proposals married individuals will... Read more...
The National Lottery has had a wonderful press during the 2008 Olympics and I have no doubt that it has been a primary cause of the TeamGB (ugh!) medal haul. Indeed I am on record for anticipating it over eight years ago. How come? I like sport and played rugby... Read more...
Blogger Croydonian has looked through the details of a TUC poll on workplace attitudes. There are some interesting comparisons to be drawn between unionised and non-unionised, and public and private sector organisations. Here are a few examples: "Trade unionists are less loyal to employers than the unionised:"I feel committed to... Read more...
An important reminder from Guido Fawkes today: "If all our economic woes are made in America as Gordon claims, why is that their economy is showing healthy growth (despite high oil prices) and the U.K. economy is flat-lining? Could it have something to do with George Bush's timely $150 billion... Read more...
This week’s non-job of the week highlights how Councils continue to spend, spend, spend and ignore the realities in the British economy. As the economy slows down, slower and lower growth means everyone’s spending has to change. Except for government it seems. A prime example here from Essex County Council,... Read more...
Politicians don't have the experience or length of time in office to really try and run the education system effectively. In an attempt to look like they have some control they churn out initiative after initiative. Schools and children pay the price: "The sheer number of initiatives and programmes and... Read more...
In what is becoming an increasingly common event, Henderson Group, one of Europe's largest investment managers, said it was considering moving its tax base to Ireland, which has much lower company taxes. The FT continues: "Its announcement underlined concerns about the waning competitiveness of the UK tax system, which led... Read more...
We have had an excellent response to our report, with several newspapers supporting our message in their leader columns and a number of politicians voicing their support for our argument. Unsurprisingly, the response from the Government and Friends of the Earth has been less favourable. The Treasury said that: "The... Read more...
IPCC cost of carbon emissions estimate shows Britain pays £19.6bn too much in green taxes. Even the Government's own figures indicate that we are paying £7.9bn too much. Detailed area-by-area breakdown shows wide variation across the country - and the poor are hit hardest. Download the full... Read more...
Regular readers will recall that the last time I blogged about confectionery it was with good news, that the State and the taxman had shoved off and left chocolate teacakes alone, though not before a long fight. It's saddening, therefore, to see in today's Irish Times that the ratchet of... Read more...
I got an email from a supporter that I thought I’d share. This was a letter sent to David Miliband when he was Minister at DEFRA, beautifully articulating the absurdity of the Common Agricultural Policy: Dear Secretary of State, My friend, who is in farming at the moment,... Read more...