The TaxPayers' Alliance, Britain's independent campaign for reforming taxes, cutting spending and protecting taxpayers, will be available for broadcast interviews both previewing and reacting to the Queen's Speech taking place on Wednesday.
The TaxPayers' Alliance hopes that the Government will spend the coming year concentrating its efforts on reducing the deficit so that the nation's books can be balanced. It should only introduce new laws where absolutely necessary rather than legislating for the sake of it.
The Government has already indicated it will include a bill to create a new offence of facilitating tax evasion, but ministers should also be carrying out a wholesale review of the tax system with a view to introducing long overdue reform and simplification. The Single Income Tax, the final report of the 2020 Tax Commission convened by the TaxPayers' Alliance, remains an authoritative guide as to what needs to be done.
Ministers have also indicated an intention to streamline and speed up the planning process; any such moves to facilitate house-building will be welcome supply-side measures to make home ownership a less distant prospect for many - far better than costly interventions such as the Help-to-Buy scheme.
The Government should also see the Queen's Speech as an opportunity to row back on some of its more ill-thought-out policies. The Sugar Tax, for example, was announced with insufficient thought and consultation and its flaws are becoming more apparent by the day.
Looking ahead to the Queen's Speech, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
"With the national debt rising every second and families struggling with ever-rising bills, the main thrust of the Queen's Speech should be measures that will reduce spending and protect taxpayers. There are of course other issues which demand attention but the Prime Minister and the Chancellor should not take their eyes off the prize of lower, simpler taxes and a balanced budget."