Responding to the announcement of an "Intensive Activity Programme" for young jobseekers, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "We have to ensure that the benefit system provides a sturdy safety net for the most vulnerable but it cannot become a long-term alternative to work. It is absolutely... Read more...
New analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance suggests that Britain's tax system is neither progressive nor balanced across different income groups. The analysis, compiled from Office of National Statistics data, demonstrates that much of the rhetoric around "lifting people out of taxation" or "ensuring that those with the broadest shoulders bear... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance today releases the first thorough analysis of the spending by the Offices of Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales. Among the key findings of the report, which contains information on all OPCCs, are: Total spending across all OPCCs in 2013-14 was £52 million, equivalent to... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance today calls on the Government to class London Underground workers as 'essential' and therefore ensure that minimum service is provided during strike action, similar to provisions currently in place for the Fire Service. The United Nation's International Labour Office describes legislating for a "minimum service" provision for... Read more...
New TaxPayers' Alliance analysis has revealed the size of the average family's tax bill over the course of a lifetime. Among the key findings in the report are: Over a lifetime, an average household will pay £734,240 (in 2013-14 prices) in direct and indirect taxes, an increase of 2.3 per... Read more...
Recent media coverage has suggested that the Chancellor is considering merging Income Tax and National Insurance into one single "Earnings Tax," with the Office of Tax Simplification asked to conduct a review into the possibility of doing so. Such a move would be a victory for a years-long TaxPayers' Alliance... Read more...
New analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance of official European Development Fund records has exposed the wasteful projects funded by the European Commission, costing British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. Among the funding commitments uncovered by the TaxPayers' Alliance are: €245,837 (£173,364) on the Nafasi Arts Space in Dar Es... Read more...
Responding to the formal announcement of IPSA's decision to give Members of Parliament a significant pay increase, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Just a week after the Chancellor rightly announced further pay restraint in the public sector, it is totally inappropriate for IPSA to be pushing... Read more...
Responding to calls from the British Medical Association to introduce a sugar tax as a 'useful first step,' Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: It is deeply concerning that the British Medical Association Association is describing what would be a regressive tax, hitting the poorest hardest, as... Read more...
Responding to the Budget, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This Budget was frustratingly complicated, but overall this was a tentative step in the right direction. The general focus on eradicating the deficit via spending reductions rather than tax hikes is welcome. It was as ever a... Read more...
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will next week stand to deliver his first Budget of the new Parliament. The morning after, Thursday 9th July, the Institute of Economic Affairs and TaxPayers' Alliance will host a post-Budget media briefing.The panel discussion will be chaired by John O'Connell, Director of the TaxPayers'... Read more...
Next week's Budget announcement must be a radical one, significantly reducing spending to ensure that the Chancellor keeps the promise he made Britain before the election: that the deficit will be eliminated by 2018. With Britain still running a £75 billion deficit this year and adding to a £1.5 trillion... Read more...
Responding to the news that electrification work on the Midland mainline and on the Transpennine route between Leeds and Manchester will be "paused", Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The Secretary of State is right to ensure that electrification delivers value for money, but the delaying of... Read more...
New research from the TaxPayers' Alliance shows that punishingly high taxes on holiday items, insurance and flights have forced up the cost of a holiday abroad by £62 on every holidaymaker in Britain. Read more...
Ahead of anti-austerity protests this weekend, new analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance today exposes the size of Britain's real national debt and charts its growth since 2010. The picture that emerges is highly troubling and underscores the urgency of the need to repair the public finances.The real national debt extends... Read more...
Responding to this morning's announcement by the Department for Energy and Climate Change that wind farm subsidies will be abolished sooner than planned, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Onshore wind subsidies have pushed up energy bills for years and the Government is right to get rid... Read more...
As the EU referendum Bill reaches its Committee Stage in the Commons, high among the issues set to be debated is whether there should be a period of 'purdah' leading up to the poll. This is a period during which central and local government would be prevented by law from... Read more...
Responding to the publication of Lord Carter's report on NHS efficiency, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "With an ageing population, the NHS simply has to become more efficient, and Lord Carter's report has confirmed our own research into wasteful spending at far too many NHS trusts.... Read more...
Responding to the announcement that the Government will begin selling off its stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The headlines will be grabbed by a potential loss on the sale of RBS but the overall profit from the combined bank... Read more...
Today, Chancellor of the Exchequer announced plans to sell off the government's remaining stake in Royal Mail. Responding to the news, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The Chancellor is absolutely right to go ahead with the sale, which will help to cut down the deficit. Officials... Read more...
Responding to the news that IPSA, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, are launching a consultation on a significant increase in MPs' pay and again calling for an above-inflation increase, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It beggars belief that this overgrown quango is launching yet another consultation... Read more...
New research by the TaxPayers' Alliance shows surprising scale of councils' asset portfolios Assets include golf courses, restaurants, hotels, shopping centres, a wet fish stall in Thanet and a cheese factory in Dumfries and Galloway Revelations come as councils continue to complain about size of central government grant and plead poverty as a reason for increasing Council Tax on... Read more...
Responding to the Queen's Speech, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The Conservatives were elected on a mandate of protecting taxpayers and reducing spending, and the Queen's Speech delivered on the first. We hope that the Chancellor follows through in his forthcoming Budget, ensuring that Britain lives... Read more...
New research from the TaxPayers' Alliance has revealed the scale of overpayments on grounds and gardens maintenance across the NHS. Analysis of the data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, a Department of Health agency, shows significant disparities in how much NHS trusts spend. There appear to be... Read more...