Business is the wealth generator of the UK, and small and family businesses are the often neglected heart of the UK economy, with family businesses alone employing nearly four in ten of the UK’s workforce. We propose ways to make the UK an economy all businesses can thrive in.
The tax double whammy: More tax costs more than you think
By the time of the next election, the tax burden will have gone up 4.2% of GDP compared with 1996/97.
Big Bang 20 years on: New challenges facing the financial services sector
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY of the radical reform of the London Stock Exchange that came to be known as ‘Big Bang’ thoroughly deserves the thoughtful celebration this collection of essays provides.
Simply red: the true state of the public finances
In recent years, critics have accused the Chancellor of using the PFI as a method of hiding, or simply deferring, a proportion of the capital costs associated with this Government’s public sector investment.
The Chancellor’s record: an audit of the last ten years
The December 2006 Pre-Budget Report (PBR) will be the Chancellor’s tenth, and, widely expected to be his last. This is, therefore, an opportune time to take an audit of some key aspects of the Chancellor’s record over the last 10 years.
The case for reducing business taxes
Back in the late 1990s when, as Ireland’s Minister of Finance, I started cutting taxes, many people feared that the loss of revenue to the Exchequer would be massive and that the policy would have to be abandoned. But the opposite happened.
A better way to help the low paid: US lessons for the UK tax credits system
Poverty is not a line, a statistical abstraction across a graph. Ultimately, it is not a lack of money. It is the inability to earn money and dependence on welfare.
Where has your pay rise gone? Disposable income stagnates while personal debt soars
According to the ONS, real earnings (average earnings index, adjusted for RPIX) grew by just 1% a year between 2001 and 2005.
Robin Hood or Sheriff of Nottingham? Winners and losers from tax and benefit reform over the last 10 years
This paper compares the share of taxes (direct and indirect) paid by household income groups in 2004-05 with the share of taxes paid in 1996-97. It also compares the share of benefits received by each household income group over the same period. All data are from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The Larceny of the Lottery Fund
Ruth Lea looks at the Lottery Fund and investigates the distribution and funds and its overall organisation in The Larceny of The Lottery Fund. With a foreword by former British Prime Minister, Sir John Major.
The Leviathan is still at large: a report by the CPS review team
This report is a digest of the open, and often personal views of senior figures, including those representing Trade Associations, across the financial services industry.
Tax Simplification: How, and why, it must be done
Tolley’s Tax Handbooks 2004-2005 are the standard manuals on current tax law for tax practitioners. They are about 11,000 pages long.
Public Sector Borrowing: keep a grip
In a speech to the CBI in Manchester (of 20 January 2005), the Governor of the Bank of England urged the Chancellor to maintain a firm grip on government borrowing.
If this is Conservatism, I am a Conservative
Lord Saatchi on why the Conservative Party should ditch pragmatism and (re)discover idealism.
Declining Government Productivity: another tax on the economy
The level of government spending, the public sector’s role in the economy and the government’s productivity record are worrying.
Public Spending Trends: winners and losers
Total public sector spending has increased substantially since 1997/98 and, especially, since 1999/2000. This is well documented. But what is less well-documented is just how disparate the experience of the departmental “winners and losers” has been (and will continue to be if the current Government’s plans are implemented). This short Perspective seeks to redress the balance.
