For Immediate Release Today the TaxPayers' Alliance has welcomed the announcement by Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, that the true cost of High Speed 2 (HS2) will be £81-88 billion in 2019 prices. Previous governments have maintained that HS2 would only cost £55.6 billion despite knowing the... Read more...
Embargoed: 00:01 Monday 26th August With the government announcing a review of HS2, a new report by the TaxPayers' Alliance analyses data on 10 UK major projects - covering everything from Astute submarines to Crossrail - which have collectively overrun by more than three decades and £17 billion. These overruns equal £624 per UK... Read more...
For Immediate Release TPA has long called for the project to be scrapped The campaign group strongly welcomes this effort to shine a light on the true costs of HS2 Strong review team includes Lord Berkeley, who sat on the TPA's Great British Transport Competition panel The government today (Wednesday, 21st August... Read more...
For Immediate Release New figures secured by the Greater London Assembly reveal that the costs of flights and hotels for the Metropolitan Police have risen sharply under London mayor Sadiq Khan's watch. In 2015-16 the Met spent £2,550,613 on flights which by 2018-19 had nearly doubled to £4,620,000. Hotel costs almost trebled from £763,199... Read more...
For Immediate Release Inflation, as measured by the Retail Price Index, is going up. That means most rail fares are due to rise again this January. But calls to re-nationalise the railways should be rebuffed. Significantly lower fares could only be delivered by increasing taxpayer support, which would disproportionately benefit... Read more...
For Immediate Release Research by the TaxPayers' Alliance examines the taxes and charges involved when someone passes away. In 2019-20, the government is projected to receive £5.35 billion from grieving taxpayers via inheritance tax, the highest amount ever. But this is only one of the many ways that the government extracts... Read more...
For immediate release Reacting to the news that income tax receipts in Scotland are lower than projected as a result of sluggish growth, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "Often high levels of taxation can slow down economic growth and result in individuals and businesses relocating elsewhere. Conversely, lower taxes can... Read more...
For Immediate Release Responding to the news that the House of Commons Procedure Committee is calling for the establishment of a Budget Committee to properly scrutinise government spending plans, Mike Denham, Chairman of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: "This report is a big win for the taxpayers of tomorrow. "Proper oversight... Read more...
For Immediate Release Responding to the news that the BBC have rewarded pay-rises to top paid stars, Harry Fone, Grassroots Campaign Manager for the TaxPayers’ Alliance said; “After announcing that many pensioners will now be forced to pay the dreaded TV tax, you’d think the BBC would have shown more respect to... Read more...
Experts call for new conditions on unitary authorities Embargoed: 00:01 Tuesday 2nd July As the Local Government Association conference begins in Bournemouth, the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) recommends a new framework for the creation of unitary authorities across England. With insights from elections expert, Lord Robert Hayward, TPA analysis released today... Read more...
For Immediate Release Responding to a report from Unison which calls on the state to seize control of the Big Six energy companies, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "The far left's aspiration for higher taxes and state control of industry are straight out of socialist Venezuela, and would mean abject misery... Read more...
For Immediate Release Yesterday the House of Commons library published a briefing note on the business case for HS2, revealing that HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport (DfT) were aware that costs would be £9bn more (£65 billion) than public estimates, but chose not to share this information with the public. ... Read more...
For Immediate Release New analysis, released today by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA), shows that families on the lowest incomes paid 47.6 per cent of their gross income in tax in 2017-18, up by 4.4 per cent since 2008-9. Meanwhile, the richest tenth pay 33.5 per cent of their gross income... Read more...
Tax Freedom Day, a report published annually by the Adam Smith Institute, is a measure of when Britons stop paying tax and start putting their earnings into their own pocket. Read more...
Embargoed: 00:01 Thursday 23rd May Responding to a report by IPPR calling for income tax rises to fund social care, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “We need a more sustainable funding solution for social care - but putting up income tax would be a hit to household budgets... Read more...
Embargoed: 00:01 Monday 20th May Crossrail 2 is a £36 billion project to link south west and north east London rail services via new tunnels between Wimbledon and Dalston through central London. A new TPA report has found that £11 billion could be saved with cost reduction measures The report also suggests... Read more...
Embargoed: 00:01 Thursday 16th May Responding to a report published today by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, which calls on the government to rethink HS2, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "We have long argued that HS2 is a waste of taxpayers' money, and it's good to... Read more...
Embargoed: 00:01 Saturday 11th May 2019 New TPA report calls for public sector workers to have more control over their remuneration. Report suggests that those in the public sector should be able to opt-out of their employer pension and take the contribution as salary. This would be on a voluntary basis. The most recent... Read more...
Commenting on the recent publication of the government's estimates of fraud and error levels in the benefit system in 2018-19, Duncan Simpson, Research Director of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: With budgets tight and people working hard to make ends meet, government losing £3 billion of our money through overpayments of benefits... Read more...
Embargoed: 00:01 Wednesday 24th April New report says that improved productivity from increased automation in the NHS is estimated to release £12.5 billion a year's worth of staff time Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, today argues that technology will allow NHS staff... Read more...
Town Hall Rich List: TaxPayers' Alliance reveals 2,441 council staff raked in more than £100,000 Read more...
This morning the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) visited City Hall in a white van to protest the introduction of the new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). TPA staff plastered a Ford Transit van with placards calling on Mayor Khan to scrap this charge, which will burden hard working tradesmen with yet... Read more...
Priti Patel launches TaxPayers' Alliance report on taking back control of foreign aid Today former secretary of state for international development, Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, is joining forces with the TaxPayers' Alliance to call for urgent reforms to British aid spending. In analysis released today, the TaxPayers' Alliance sets... Read more...
UK’s local authorities spent £6,593,523 on award ceremonies Embargoed: 00:01 Thursday 21st February 2019 An investigation by the TaxPayers' Alliance into council spending has revealed that local authorities in the UK have spent over £6 million on award ceremonies since 2015, with the average cost to the taxpayer per council... Read more...