Our research reveals that 45 public sector trade union bosses receive more than £100,000 each year in salary and benefits. This places them comfortably within the top 5 per cent of earners in the UK. Click here to read the full report. Read more...
Local authorities in England have seen dramatic changes to their funding since 2010 with more changes in the pipeline. The government announced in 2015 that within five years, local authorities will be able to raise and keep all revenue from business rates. Additional powers over how council tax is raised... Read more...
The UK spends almost double the rest of the EU combined on large procurement contracts, and much less on smaller ones, research finds. The United Kingdom published 167 contract award notices on contracts worth €100 million or above. France published 29, Italy 25 and Germany 5. These are worth altogether €73.77 billion and accounted for 52 per cent of such notices... Read more...
This summer millions of British families will head off for a well-earned holiday. But before they do many of the simple but important purchases they make are subject to tax. Items such as clothes are subject to VAT, whilst travel insurance purchases are hit by Insurance Premium Tax (IPT). The... Read more...
In the wake of the 2017 general election, much commentary has focussed on the impact public spending cuts had on the result. Less attention has been paid to assessing by how much public spending has actually been reduced. Click the link here for our latest research note on government spending. ... Read more...
The House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee have reported back on their inquiry into government accounts - and how to ensure the taxpayer can properly scrutinise them. We are delighted that the Committee have taken several of our recommendations on board. You can read their full report... Read more...
For the tenth consecutive year, the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has compiled the most comprehensive list of council employees in the UK whose total annual remuneration exceeds £100,000. This year’s Town Hall Rich List covers the 2014-15 and 2015-16 financial years, the most recent full years for which data is available.... Read more...
Facility time is paid time-off taken by trade union representatives to carry out ‘duties’. It has been the focus of major reforms in central and local government, as well as the civil service over the past few years. The TaxPayers’ Alliance has previously revealed how trade unions have received large... Read more...
Our submission to the Treasury Select Committee on the sustainability of the tax base. Read the submission here Read more...
The recent storm over business rates centres on the upcoming revaluation of commercial properties, which comes into effect on 1st April 2017. It is the first revaluation since 1st April 2010. and the valuation practice itself has changed in the wake of a 2015 judgement by the Supreme Court. Combined... Read more...
Despite the huge financial risks and recurring records of failure and late delivery, large infrastructure projects are much coveted by politicians seeking a legacy. There is too often scant regard for how much it will cost taxpayers. Bent Flyvbjerg, the Chair of Major Programme Management at Oxford University's Saïd Business... Read more...
To read the research paper, click here In 2010 the former Chancellor, George Osborne, called the tax system a ‘spaghetti bowl’. He was spot on: the UK tax system is hideously complicated, with far too many reliefs and exemptions meaning the Tolley’s tax guides now run to nearly 22,000 pages.... Read more...