Responding to the news that Royal Bank of Scotland has announced its ninth consecutive multi-billion pound loss, Alex Wild, Research Director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Every day the government holds on to these shares they are risking further losses. Some ridiculed the previous chancellor for crystalising a £1 billion... Read more...
Research by the TaxPayers' Alliance shows government-managed large infrastructure projects have a poor record of being delivered on budget, with some projects overrunning by up to 190 per cent. Despite the Government’s insistence that HS2 will be delivered on budget, taxpayers should take no comfort given their appalling track record... Read more...
As HS2 clears its final hurdle in Parliament on Monday, new polling has discovered that 84 per cent of the general public don't believe HS2 will benefit them personally, while 80 per cent don't believe the project will be delivered on budget. On Monday, MPs are debating the Lords' amendments... Read more...
TaxPayers' Alliance welcomes Surrey County Council's decision to back down from a 15% Council Tax hike Decision means it is unlikely there will be referendum on the astronomical tax increase But the proposed budget still seeks a 4.99% Council Tax hike - just below the threshold for triggering a vote... Read more...
As Peers prepare to debate the HS2 Bill during its Third Reading tomorrow, the TaxPayers’ Alliance lit up Piccadilly Circus with a call to stop the failing project once and for all. Lord Framlingham tabled the "fatal amendment" on the HS2 Bill before it goes for its Third Reading tomorrow... Read more...
Lord Framlingham has today tabled a "fatal amendment" on the HS2 Bill before it goes for its Third Reading next week, as he seeks to block this thoroughly wasteful vanity project. This is another opportunity to stop the HS2 Bill in its tracks - and as such it serves to... Read more...
Responding to the news that ministers have approved a 6 per cent rise in council tax to fund social care, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "A 6 per cent Council Tax rise will put unimaginable pressure on already struggling families without providing any real solution to... Read more...
New research shows that George Osborne's sugar tax not certain to raise the money for sport that has been claimed Gap in revenue will result in additional borrowing or higher taxes on hard-pressed families 20 percent revenue shortfall is equivalent to 1% increase in inheritance tax Sugar tax also likely... Read more...
New forecast means there will have been at least 21 consecutive years of deficits by 2022 13 years after the financial crisis, we will still be living beyond our means Soaring debt will saddle future generations with even higher taxes Reacting to the Autumn Statement, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of... Read more...
TPA renews its call to Stamp Out Stamp Duty Click here for more on our campaign In light of The Daily Telegraph's welcome recommendation to slash Stamp Duty - following revelations that the Stamp Duty reforms have further distorted the market and raised only half the amount of revenue predicted... Read more...
Income tax and national insurance: How much tax do you really pay? Income tax+national insurance means the 20 per cent tax rate is effectively 40.2 per cent Multiple taxes on wages are needlessly complex and obscure National insurance should be abolished by 2021 for a simpler and more transparent tax... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance today launches YourTPA, a unique free-to-download App, which allows taxpayers to access local council data on their mobile devices. Users can type in their postcodes which brings up local data, allowing users to scrutinise and hold their individual authorities to account. This app will help promote transparency across local government. YourTPA is a collection of... Read more...
Research from TaxPayers' Alliance shows an independent Scotland would have to depend on measures such as the following in order to balance the books: Increasing basic rate income tax to 39 per cent Doubling VAT to 40 per cent Cutting health spending by 82 per cent Cutting all spending on... Read more...
Responding to the speech by Chris Grayling where he argues the case for HS2 is stronger than ever,John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, says: "Despite assertions to the contrary, the arguments for HS2 remain incredibly weak. HS2 offers appalling value for money and there are many more worthwhile... Read more...
Responding to the speech by Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn today at Labour Party Conference, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This was a prospectus for poverty, unemployment, debt and recession. With the national debt standing at £25,000 for every man, woman and child and the government running a... Read more...
Responding to the decision to go ahead with Hinkley Point, John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It's deeply disappointing that the government is pressing ahead with this deal which combines huge risk with spectacularly bad value for money. The technology to be used is unproven and projects using... Read more...
Responding to new data published today in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), the TaxPayers' Alliance is calling on the new government to scrap George Osborne's sugar tax.Data from the NDNS adds to the weight of evidence that shows consumption of sugar from soft drinks is falling. As such there is... Read more...
As families jet off on their summer holiday, new research shows how the treasury now takes in over £2.4 billion from holiday taxes The average holidaymaker will be hit with a £61.12 tax bill as the taxman chases Brits all the way to the departure gate The bill has increased by more than... Read more...
Following the news that Alex Salmond MP received almost £30,000 in a resettlement grant after leaving Holyrood, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "With MSPs effectively on fixed term contracts, there can be no justification whatsoever for them being entitled to large dollops of taxpayers' cash in so-called... Read more...
New research from the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) today reveals how all areas of the country - not just London - are being hit by punitive property taxes. Despite assumptions that property taxes make up a bigger proportion of regional GDP in London and the South East, Property taxes in the UK and... Read more...
The first ever Nanny State Rich List, published today by the TaxPayers' Alliance, reveals that hundreds of public health bosses - some with baffling job titles - enjoy pay packages worth over £100,000. As the influence of the public health lobby increases, threatening to encroach unduly on people's lives with countless new regulations and higher... Read more...
A new report from the TaxPayers' Alliance today calls on the government to scrap the wasteful HS2 project. The business case for HS2 has fallen apart and the scheme is already projected to be massively over its original budget. It is unlikely to be completed on schedule and there's a... Read more...
A new report from the TaxPayers' Alliance calls on the government to undertake real reform to tackle the housing shortage in the UK. Successive governments have avoided meaningful reform, instead focusing on tinkering around the edges which has only served to worsen the situation and drive up prices. Recent tax changes will also drive up... Read more...
Reacting to the news that the Welsh Government wasted taxpayers' on ludicrous items such as luxury yachtwear and shopping at Victoria's Secret and iTunes, Lee Canning, Wales Coordinator for the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers' money is meant to pay for essential services. Hard-pressed families across Wales will be shocked to the core that part of... Read more...