Public sector debt is forecast by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility to exceed £1.3 trillion in 2014-15.1 However, as explained by previous TaxPayers’ Alliance research, this number does not include a range of expensive commitments such as unfunded pension liabilities. Read more...
In advance of the Comprehensive Spending Review, we can reveal how the Government could cut vast swathes of wasteful and unnecessary spending. A new online edition of theBumper Book of Government Waste, published today, identifies potential savings to the tune of nearly £120 billion, a figure almost exactly equal to... Read more...
When Stamp Duty was first introduced there was only one rate of 1% paid on properties over £60,000 which was more than above the current average house price. Now we have 5 rates and more than two thirds of families pay it when they move. Read more...
As a country our tax legislation is vast, complicated and growing; with each successive government the size of the UK tax code grows. A simpler, clearer and lighter tax system which is more understandable would close loopholes, encourage business growth and be easier to implement. Read more...
Between 2002-3 and 2012-13, the NHS budget increased from £57 billion to more than £105 billion. With the budget now so large and no longer growing so quickly, it’s more important than ever that the NHS delivers value for money. Read more...
The Coalition judges itself partly on its progress on reducing the annual deficit to stop the total accumulated debt from spiralling out of control. But the official National Debt is not the only liability the Government is storing up for future taxpayers. Unfunded pension promises for public sector employees are not included in... Read more...
You can find the factbook here All facts and figures correct at the time of research Read more...
We can today reveal that the NHS in England wasted £41.4 million last year simply by paying more than it should for energy and water. The money wasted annually on excessive utility bills could cover the cost of employing 1,350 more nurses. A number of hospitals could have saved over... Read more...
Councils have received less money from central government since 2010. This has been necessary to help close the deficit. But local authorities shouldn't look to local taxpayers to plug the gaps in their finances by hiking Council Tax, a bill that has nearly doubled over the last decade. Council Tax... Read more...
Work for the Dole is a proposal to fix welfare dependency based around the idea that welfare reform must involve more than numeracy and literacy tests in order to ensure those stuck on welfare have a better chance of gaining employment. To read the full report, click here Read more...
Britain’s contribution to the EU gets bigger every year. That means bigger tax bills for families across the country and too much of the money is wasted. Brussels also makes life difficult for British businesses with draconian regulations. We deserve a better deal. Click here for the factbook. Read more...
As millions of British families return from their holidays, new research from the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) reveals just how much tax they have to pay in order to enjoy a well-earned break. Thanks to the highest taxes on flights in the world and other taxes on common holiday purchases, the... Read more...
Three in ten homes are to suffer from a Stamp Duty hike by 2017, whilst a third of potential home buyers will pay over £7,500 in Stamp Duty by 2018. Read more...
The Tax Payers’ Alliance believes that in the long term Stamp Duty Land Tax should be abolished. However reforms are also possible that would ease the burden on families with a limited, or even positive, impact on overall tax receipts. In new research based on the relationship between the tax... Read more...
Expected rising property prices over the next five years by Savills Research mean that many more exempt homes will be subject to Stamp Duty when they are sold and many homes which are already subject to the charge will face an even higher bill. While all homes which rise in... Read more...
While home-buyers in London and the South East are hardest hit, more people across the country are being hit by Stamp Duty at the 3 per cent rate, which acts as a barrier both for an increasing number of first-time buyers, as well as many hard-working families wanting to buy... Read more...
Writing in today’s Daily Telegraph Matthew Sinclair argues that our complicated capital tax system needs reform. His article follows the release of our new research How to fix corporate taxes which is part of a set of papers that demonstrate the steps needed to introduce key recommendations from the 2020 Tax Commission final report, The Single Income... Read more...
For the seventh 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 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years, the most recent full years for which data is available. Town Hall Rich... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance reveals today that a massive £1.1 billion was paid last year in Business Rates on empty properties, a rise of 19 per cent between 2009-10 and 2011-12. Click here to read the full report Read more...
The TaxPayers’ Alliance can today reveal that there are 28,754 local authority staff paid over £50,000 a year, which cost taxpayers £1.9 billion in 2011-12. The cost of paying these staff is the equivalent of 7.5 per cent of Council Tax receipts. This bill is down 12.5 per cent from last year but 118 councils increased the amount spent... Read more...
For the first time, the TaxPayers’ Alliance can reveal the number of different tax-raising and tax-cutting measures since the 2010 election that the Coalition Government has implemented or is planning to implement during this Parliament. To read the full report, click here Read more...
With spending restraint needed across the board, it is vital that police forces improve their efficiency. Crime prevention does not have to suffer. This report reveals figures for each police force – gathered using data from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary – and compares how many police officers and Police... Read more...
The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) can today reveal that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has spent over £1.5 million on 3,496 flights over the last two and half years. Of these trips, 362 were business class at a cost of nearly £600,000. The destinations of these flights include far-flung locations from Johannesburg to Jakarta while DECC staff... Read more...
Earlier this month Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude announced plans to reduce the amount of facility time taken in the civil service. This will cut the subsidy that unions receive at taxpayers’ expense. There would still be a substantial subsidy though, and the reforms do not yet apply to the... Read more...