By Erin Few. On Monday, the National Audit Office (NAO) released a report entitled “Improving government’s planning and spending framework” critiquing the spending of HM Treasury and providing recommendations to improve accountability and better serve taxpayers. The NAO has been keeping track of the Cabinet Office and Treasury’s progress... Read more...
By Jeremy Hutton, Policy Analyst Since September, the BBC has been deliberating over how to cover the cost of free television licences for over-75s, which from 2020 it will have to fund directly. Recently, Broadcasting House has published a report into what to do about the perk, launched a... Read more...
by Matt Gillow, TPA Local Coordinator With a limited business case, no environmental case, and inflated costs hitting over £90 billion, it’s no wonder that even celebrities have recently come out in opposition to the government’s current vanity project. I’m wary of a Boris ‘red bus’ moment — but you’d be forgiven for... Read more...
by Victor HaggardIncreased NHS funding has signalled to some that an end to eight years of austerity is in sight, but this is a fallacy. Presented as a result of the government’s fiscal prudence, the £20 billion ‘deal’ comes instead from the desertion of the chancellor’s commitment to eliminate the... Read more...
by Nathan White The cost of strikes Since the Metropolitan Railway’s inauguration in 1863, the Underground has existed as an iconic and an integral feature in the city’s political, economic and cultural identity. Technological advances, such as the world’s first partially-automated trains operating on the Victoria Line in 1968,... Read more...
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...