By: Callum McGoldrick, intern at the TaxPayers' Alliance The World Health Organisation (WHO) was founded in 1948, its focus was on the monitoring and prevention of the prevalent diseases of the day, notably malaria and tuberculosis. Unlike many of the quangos which emerged at the end of the second... Read more...
It was clear blue skies and a beating hot sun for much of June. Plenty of reasons to bunk off work. Taxpayers will certainly wonder if that’s what civil servants were doing in June, given some of the stories we uncovered in our war on waste campaign. Shockingly, many... Read more...
By: Mike Denham, chairman of the TaxPayers' Alliance The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is not given to hysterical exaggeration, so when they describe the outlook for government finances as “alarming” we should all be worried. And taxpayers should be especially worried. At over 100 percent of GDP,... Read more...
By: Callum McGoldrick, intern at the TaxPayers' Alliance Higher education costs taxpayers £9.4 billion a year in the form of unpaid student loans alone, but the true cost is much greater. An under-reported cost of higher education is the millions pumped into quangos whose main job is to ‘aid’... Read more...
By: Rory Meakin, research fellow at the TaxPayers' Alliance The more time spent analysing potential tweaks and improvements to the existing tax system, the more it becomes apparent that the UK desperately needs something more substantial than fiddling at the margins. Tax itself is, per se, economically damaging.... Read more...
by Danny LaManna, intern The TaxPayers’ Alliance has long called for fraud to be a priority of ministers. Waste is bad enough, but precious resources being misdirected through criminal means makes a mockery of the record-high tax burden households are currently paying. And too little is being done about... Read more...
By: Tom Ryan, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance Recently, Priti Patel spoke out against the plan for an OECD minimum corporation tax, arguing that it “means a return to the bad old days when western governments metaphorically put a finger in the dam and wished away innovation, competition... Read more...
By: Jonathan Eida, researcher at the TaxPayers' Alliance Rishi Sunak has tried to turn caution in economic matters into a virtue following the dramatic demise of his predecessor. On the leadership campaign trail, the now prime minister said: “If the government goes on a huge borrowing spree that is... Read more...
By: Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance May was a month of bank holidays. Many took advantage and went away to soak up a bit of sun after a miserable month of April. But for many council officials and councillors there was no need to go... Read more...
by Cllr Joe Otten, councillor for Dore & Totley, Sheffield The latest front in the public health blob’s war on choice can be found in the arcane world of planning policy. Officials in Sheffield are attempting to impose a ban on new hot food takeaways that wish to open... Read more...
by Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager My phone has no signal, and I’m wading through a pile of outdated newspapers and magazines to pass the time - I can only be in one place. Having taken a few non-emergency trips to various London hospitals recently, long waits in corridors... Read more...
by Conor Holohan, media campaign manager At prime minister’s questions last week, Anthony Browne MP brought the House of Commons’ attention to an experiment taking place in South Cambridgeshire. South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) has been trialling a four-day working week for their desk staff, and last month... Read more...
By Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager It’s been a topsy-turvy week. ITV’s iconic daytime duo - former best buddies Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield - have imploded in a flurry of controversy and bitter recriminations. Rishi Sunak appeared on their show to say he thought immigration was too high,... Read more...
By: Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance We promised a bombshell in the March edition of this blog. Well here it is. Our investigation, which splashed the Mail+ (the online late edition of the Daily Mail), found that 240 ambulances were delayed by low-traffic neighbourhood schemes... Read more...
By Benjamin Elks, operations manager With the dust settling on the recent local elections, a raft of new councillors will be taking their seats in council chambers across the country. Many will have dreams of fixing potholes, rejuvenating town centres, and ‘delivering’ for residents - if their pre-election leaflets... Read more...
By Mike Denham, chairman of the TaxPayers' Alliance Analysis by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) suggests that the number of people employed by the state is nearly double that of official estimates of 5.7 million. The original NIESR paper raises some excellent questions about exactly... Read more...
by Morgan Schondelmeier, tax and trade policy manager at the British Beer and Pub Association The British people don’t need an excuse for a pint down the pub. One of our most famous and beloved pastimes, the pub has been at the centre of our culture and heritage for... Read more...
by David Taylor, Councillor for St Edward's, Havering The Mayor of London is on a crusade against motorists. According to Sadiq Khan, this is necessary to combat the problem of air pollution. His latest scheme, to extend the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) out to the whole of Greater... Read more...
Our latest research, the 16th edition of the Town Hall Rich List, reveals the top bureaucrats who have received hundreds of millions of pounds from council taxpayers. Here are 10 things you need to know about Town Hall Rich List 2023: We have a pretty tried and tested... Read more...
By: Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance March 2023 was the wettest on record. It must come as a relief, then, to council staff that their employers are so generous when it comes to working from home. Why go out in the cold and the rain... Read more...
by John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance Good Friday was also ‘World Health Day’, apparently. This niche celebration, organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), proclaims their 75th anniversary with a series of colourful graphics and self-gratifying videos. For the uninitiated, the WHO is one of the... Read more...
by Conor Holohan, media campaign manager Last week the Welsh government provided an update on their proposals for a tourism tax. The gist was that the consultation has concluded, and the law will be introduced this Senedd term. The proposed measures would hand councils the power to introduce... Read more...
by Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager Earlier this week, Humza Yousaf was announced as Nicola Sturgeon’s successor as leader of the Scottish National Party. Consequently, he replaced her as first minister of Scotland, taking office two days later and forming a new devolved government in Holyrood. But his... Read more...
On the day itself, our chairman Mike Denham told an audience at a joint TPA/IEA briefing “our major concern was that Hunt really did nothing about reducing the overall burden of taxation. We still have the highest level of taxation relative to GDP in 75 years.” That’s a problem, he... Read more...