Universal Credit ‘tax on workers’ should be cut to help Brits get back to employment, says thinktank
Universal credit’s tax on workers should be cut to help struggling Brits back into employment, a new think tank report has said. The current system makes it “less worthwhile for claimants to take up employment”, a briefing paper by the Centre for Policy Studies said. Read more in The Sun here.
Bailing out Eurostar would be an insult to the north
News that Eurostar is about to go bust should surprise no one. Europe is closing its borders and passenger demand for rail travel with the Continent has collapsed. Read more in The Times here.
Treatment of teachers in Covid pandemic is storing up trouble for the future
The first lockdown left every parent I know with a newfound respect for teachers. But this time, they are being told to clap for them on a Thursday — and complain about them on a Friday. Read more in The Times here.
UK risks longer dependency on fossil fuels without nuclear
UK risks longer dependency on fossil fuels without nuclear. Read more on FT here.
UK must commit to new nuclear power or risk energy shortfall, report says
The government must commit to developing more nuclear capacity if the UK is to cope with the expected doubling of electricity demand by 2050, a new report has found. According to the Centre for Policy Studies, failure to invest in new nuclear power could see the UK forced to choose between hitting its net zero… View Article
Speaking at the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, Ms Truss announced a new equalities data project, to report next summer
Speaking at the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, Ms Truss announced a new equalities data project, to report next summer, that will amass information on life outcomes to work out where the most disadvantaged are based. Read more in The Telegraph here.
A three-year freeze could save the Exchequer up to £23 billion, says think tank
The Centre for Policy Studies think-tank has estimated a three-year freeze could save the Exchequer up to £23 billion. Read more in The Telegraph here.
Abolishing stamp duty, scrapping 45p income tax would boost economic growth, says report
The Centre for Policy Studies claims the UK would rise from 22nd to 9th in the International Tax Competitiveness Index. Read more in The Telegraph here.
Rishi Sunak urged to replace ‘unfair’ Triple Lock as amount rises
The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has said the Triple Lock is creating a strain on the public purse, and that instead an alternative approach should be considered. It comes as the think tank released its nine-point plan for helping the Treasury save money as Britain recovers from the financial impact of the pandemic. Read more… View Article
Scrap pensions triple lock to help save UK finances, says influential thinktank
A right-of-centre thinktank with close links to Downing Street has called for the pensions triple lock to be scrapped, the aid budget to be cut and child benefit further limited as part of £30bn worth of spending cuts designed to spare the UK from post Covid-19 tax increases. You can read more here.
UK’s tax regime trails rival countries
Britain is in the bottom half of a league of developed nations for tax competitiveness. Research by the Tax Foundation has found that the UK ranks 22nd for offering competitive rates in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a club of 36 advanced nations. Read more here.
Top think-tank warns Rishi Sunak to avoid ‘act of self-sabotage’ in bid to repair battered public finances
Increasing taxes to pay for the Covid crisis would be ‘an act of self-sabotage’ which would derail Britain’s economic recovery, Rishi Sunak was warned last night. The Chancellor has repeatedly signalled that tax rises will be needed to repair the battered public finances. Read more here.
MPs try to ban ‘harmful’ words from the Internet in a new free speech row as critics argue new laws will ‘seriously threaten freedom and democracy’
New laws to ban ‘harmful’ words from the internet are unworkable and will ‘stifle’ freedom of speech, an influential report has found. Ministers’ plans to force blanket regulation on online companies and websites to protect people will not work, according to a new report by think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies. Read more here.
Social care ‘should be transformed into pension-style system’, says report
The social care system should be reformed so people pay for what they want while the state covers what they need, according to a new report. The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) think tank said a system where the state guarantees a reasonable level of care and accommodation, with individuals encouraged to top up their provision beyond that… View Article
Demolish the old high street to rebuild the new
Even before the pandemic, the health of our high streets was in decline. Town centres were pockmarked by empty shops. Restaurant chains were finding it hard to stay afloat. Online shopping was attracting an ever greater share of consumer spending. But coronavirus has turned a trend into a fact. Years of behavioural change have been compressed… View Article
Global Britain urged to open doors for developing world
In a new report, James Sproule calls on Mr Johnson to allow a new generation of start-ups to operate within UK company law from abroad – beginning with Commonwealth countries such as Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia. The report, published by the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, says the move would help entrepreneurs in developing countries… View Article
