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...
In case you haven’t noticed, there is an election on. There are many irksome aspects of this time of year, but none as much as badly-designed, rushed-through policies aimed to wooing a certain demographic to your cause. And as time goes on and you make more and more of them,... Read more...
Talking about money is the last British taboo. In a survey conducted by the University College London, respondents were seven times more likely to discuss things like how many sexual partners they had or whether they have had an affair than their annual income. Broaching the subject of is seen... Read more...
Good news for the residents of Buckinghamshire - Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has backed a proposal for a single, unitary council. The proposed change has strong local support, both amongst the residents and the councilors. According to Buckinghamshire County Council leader Martin Tett, the move will ‘simplify the current local... Read more...