By Tom Ryan, researcher Back in May 2020, at the dawn of the coronavirus pandemic, TPA researcher Scott Simmonds wrote that “instead of focusing on the more important remit of planning and preparing for health emergencies, PHE has been the ultimate embodiment of the nanny state”. Since then, Public... Read more...
There’s been a big (Twitter) row about the policy of regional pay bargaining, which we detailed at the weekend. It was initially adopted by Liz Truss’ leadership campaign, who now say they won’t take the proposal forward. Some have claimed the policy is a “massive pay cut” (simply not true);... Read more...
by Benjamin Elks, Fundraising, Operations and Events Assistant at the TaxPayers' Alliance It’s a challenging time for everyone. Inflation is running at almost 10 per cent and the tax burden is due to reach a 70 year high. So it’s understandable that people want some relief and a pay rise... Read more...
by Joanna Marchong Last week, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) released new stats on the state of the public sector finances for June 2022. These figures show that almost a year after the pandemic, we still have high spending levels, an equally shocking level of borrowing and significant... Read more...
by Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager The TaxPayers’ Alliance has long called for serious, far reaching reform of public service broadcasting. We have railed against wasteful spending at the BBC and challenged the organisation on its establishment outlook, which often ignores the concerns of typical taxpayers and tends towards... Read more...
By Ethan Wilkinson, owner of Great Gelato Back in March 2020, when the first lockdown was ordered by the UK Government, we seriously considered dissolving my wife’s cake business. We couldn’t see how the small side hustle could possibly survive, given that in a matter of moments, all events... Read more...
By Sara Rainwater, operations director at the TaxPayers' Alliance As the cost of living crisis deepens, the amount drivers are paying at the pump has hit an all time high - prices hit an average of 191.53 pence for unleaded and 199.03 pence for diesel according to the RAC... Read more...
By Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager Life is tough right now. A 70-year high tax burden and soaring inflation has produced the perfect storm. Taxpayers are feeling the pressure and most people are being forced to make changes to their lifestyles. But while no one is immune, some... Read more...
Earlier this week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released new stats that show exactly why we need to control public sector pay rises. The data showed a substantial increase in borrowing and a sharp increase in public sector net debt - which currently stands at £2.4 trillion, an increase... Read more...
By Emily Preston Taxpayers have funded trade union facility time since the Employment Protection Act of 1975. This legislation has allowed for trade union representatives, some spending up to 100 per cent of their working hours, to undertake union ‘duties’ and ‘activities’. These include collective bargaining over pay and... Read more...
by Tom Ryan, researcher Last week the government published Dr Javed Khan’s independent review, ‘making smoking obsolete’ as part of its smokefree 2030 policy. The 15 recommendations of the paper are part of a long tradition of going after British smokers, and like the proposals of previous decades, seek... Read more...
by David Taylor, Councillor for St Edward's, Havering On 26th May, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a new windfall tax on energy companies. Well, he didn’t call it a windfall tax, because that was Labour’s plan. Instead he called it a ‘temporary targeted energy profits levy’. The fact that... Read more...
By Harry Fone, grassroots campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance This week millions of Brits will raise a glass to Her Majesty The Queen to celebrate the platinum jubilee. One pub chain was so keen to help the festivities that it slashed the price of a pint of beer.... Read more...
By Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance The World Economic Forum at Davos is the starkest possible example of the difference between free-market capitalism, and stakeholder, corporate capitalism. In the former case, government produces and enforces a set of clear, easy to follow rules. In the... Read more...
by Elliot Keck, investigations campaigns manager The UK’s tax code is notoriously long - 17,000 pages long. Within this there are countless examples of unnecessary, unnecessarily complex and downright harmful taxes and tax exemptions. Of course this isn’t a recent phenomenon. The history of taxation is littered with examples of... Read more...
by Benjamin Elks, fundraising, operations and events assistant For many people, pensions aren’t worth worrying about until they’re nearing retirement. A focus on their careers, saving to buy a home or start a family more often take precedence over saving for the golden years. In 2012, the government introduced... Read more...
The Westminster bubble is predictably outraged this morning by Boris Johnson’s suggestion that the civil service will need to reduce in size by around 90,000 roles over the next two or three years. Putting aside the pearl-clutching, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has been pointing out for a while that this... Read more...
by James Roberts, political director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance In March Rishi Sunak, committed to crackdown on wasteful spending across Whitehall by cutting £5.5 billion worth of waste. Billions were wasted during the pandemic and there are billions more to be found, so this is a welcome initiative for... Read more...
By Harry Fone, grassroots campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance It’s fair to say the recent launch of the Great British Rail Sale generated a mixed response from the public and pundits alike. Of most interest to me was a piece in the Daily Telegraph by transport commentator Christian Wolmar,... Read more...
by Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager We’re now almost a month into the new financial year, and rising bills have families worrying about how they’re going to make ends meet. Between a terribly timed national insurance rise, council tax hikes, increasing inflation, and skyrocketing energy bills, it’s no understatement... Read more...
By Sara Rainwater, operations director at the TaxPayers' Alliance I’ve lived in the London Borough of Sutton for five years now. Shortly after moving here, I started hearing about various mismanagements by the council, such as the local SEND scandal, when hundreds of special needs children were denied additional... Read more...
By Harry Fone, grassroots at the TaxPayers’ Alliance For most of my lifetime I’ve never had to worry about rising inflation. Until fairly recently, inflation has never been higher than 4 per cent since 1993. When New Labour made the Bank of England (BoE) independent in 1997, it felt... Read more...
Our latest research, the 15th edition of the Town Hall Rich List, reveals the top bureaucrats and box-tickers who have received hundreds of millions of pounds from council taxpayers. Here are 10 things you need to know about Town Hall Rich List 2022: The data from this Town Hall... Read more...
By Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager Ahead of the bread and circuses of the spring statement, the chancellor announced a new efficiency drive. The Efficiency and Value for Money Committee - which he will chair and which will be specially tasked with rooting out wasteful spending - apparently meets... Read more...