by Richard Mason - Research Fellow at Consumer Choice Center I’m probably about to lose a fair bit of my rep with the classical liberal community: I don’t necessarily see it as an issue for the state to take an interest in public health. If we accept the classical Smithian... Read more...
Following a recent office discussion about Sunday trading laws our local coordinator Charles Amos has written below why he believes they should be abolished.The case for abolishing Sunday trading lawsby Charles AmosReform of Sunday Trading laws has divided the nation for decades. Indeed the current laws, which only allow shops... Read more...
By Jeremy Hutton, Policy Analyst Yesterday the iconic red Budget Box again returned to the House of Commons as Chancellor Philip Hammond set out government spending plans for the coming year. The chancellor was right that ‘ending austerity’ doesn’t have to mean tax hikes and taxpayers rightly won’t be further... Read more...
by Jeremy Hutton, Policy AnalystFollowing our recent research into the costs of mayoral cars, which revealed that £4.5 million has been spent on the ceremonial vehicles since 2015, Scarborough Borough Council is launching a review into their use of chauffeured hire cars. The review will scrutinise the council’s current care... Read more...
by Ben Ramanauskas, Policy AnalystThe Tax Foundation in the United States has published this year’s International Tax Competitiveness Index. It is a quality, comprehensive piece of work showing that many countries from around the world have seen the importance of reforming their tax system. A tax code which is simple... Read more...
The Labour Party has recently announced new plans to impose a levy on holiday homes, with the proposed money generated used to give a cash boost to councils. Although shadow housing secretary Simon Healey has described this as a move to address families living in “hostels and BnBs” the Communities... Read more...
Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, has suggested introducing a higher ‘windfall’ tax (a tax on profits) made by train operating companies (TOCs), supposedly to pay for a fare freeze for commuters. This will punish both those commuters (who tend to be wealthier than the average Brit already), as well as all... Read more...
Today, the TaxPayers' Alliance was asked by a reporter with a blog called 'Open Democracy', about reports of a fortnightly meeting, alleging coordination between groups with similar (and different) agendas. We responded to the reporter in full, but as we cannot be certain that our response will be printed in... Read more...
Our recent research note on education spending and teachers' pay caused a bit of a stir. As is often the case, there was the usual barrage of illogical, nonsensical criticism from the left that follows any disagreement about anything - inane tweets and silly blogs lost in a self-perpetuating echo... Read more...
There are lots of words I would use to describe John McDonnell. On one hand, he is a careful, considered media performer. On some issues, his finger is on the pulse far more clearly than other Labour front-benchers; he has been readier to condemn anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and... Read more...
Our Campaign Manager, Chloe Westley, appeared on BBC Andrew Marr show on Sunday and talked about the benefits to consumers of leaving the customs union. On the programme, she referenced a statistic about how much cheaper food could be outside the EU customs union, referencing a book written by our policy... Read more...
Inheritance tax is the least popular tax in the UK - yet we have one of the most punishing death tax regimes of all developed nations. Picture the scene; the UK’s tax burden is at its highest in 30 years time. The government really hasn’t had a major policy victory... Read more...