Tax reform
George Osborne needs to deliver serious tax reform
‘Isn’t there a case for looking at the whole system at some point?’ whispered Isabel on Tuesday when MPs criticised the taxman again. Well, yes, there is. Last May, the… Continue reading
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Starbucks protests: We need political power to reform the tax system
UK Uncut is holding its day of action against Starbucks today, with more than 40 demonstrations across the country in the chain’s coffee shops. The group’s sit-ins aim to highlight… Continue reading
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The dangers of yearning for a simple life
What is this mania for simplification? Listening to Nigel Farage struggling to explain UKIP tax policy on the Today programme this week made me wonder why, in so many areas… Continue reading
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Promoting tax transparency at the petrol pumps
Too many taxes are buried in prices. From Value Added Tax to the cost of extravagant subsidies for renewable energy, all people see is the shop charging them a higher… Continue reading
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Usain Bolt, tax campaigner
Living legend Usain Bolt is an unlikely mascot for those who campaign for reform of our tax system, but by confirming that he will continue to avoid competitions in the… Continue reading
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Danny, David and tax
What are we to make the split between Danny Alexander and his predecessor as deputy Chancellor, David Laws, over the size of the state? Laws says today it should be… Continue reading
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A lesson for Cameron from Blair
A few years back the radio disc jockey John Peel died. Some public sorrow was expressed and soon Tony Blair issued a press release explaining his personal sadness. A little… Continue reading
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The politics of tax avoidance pt. 2
David Cameron got into hot water yesterday when he pronounced Jimmy Carr’s tax avoidance ‘completely wrong’, inviting every nosey-parker to examine Tory donors. But he was a little less clear… Continue reading
39 Comments Gary Barlow, ‘immoral’ OBE
Now, here’s a question. Should Gary Barlow be stripped of his OBE? There are a number of possible answers, including who the hell is Gary Barlow? Well, he was, or… Continue reading
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The politics of tax avoidance
There is much excitement on the wires about David Cameron’s attitude to tax avoidance. The PM’s just told ITV news: ‘He’s [Jimmy Carr] taking the money from tickets and as… Continue reading
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Economic lessons from Germany
The Eurozone crisis is teaching us plenty about how to recover from recessions. The nations that tried a debt-fuelled stimulus have found that their economies haven’t grown much, but they… Continue reading
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In place of tinkering: the 2020 Tax Commission
The report which Fraser mentioned last week, from the 2020 Tax Commission, has just been published – you can download the summary here and full report here. Allister Heath, chairman of the… Continue reading
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Osborne’s Easter gift to Boris
George Osborne indicating that he is open to him and other ministers having to publish their tax returns is testament to two things. First, the Tory leadership, who know how… Continue reading
30 CommentsGood Boris
Boris Johnson must be one of the very few politicians in the world to make the audience laugh before they even start their speech. Just by walking on stage, he… Continue reading
13 CommentsMiliband’s three mistakes
Three things puzzled me about Ed Miliband’s conference speech yesterday. First, I didn’t understand why Miliband did not attack Cameron for having talked about the need for ‘moral capitalism’ and… Continue reading
25 CommentsWhy mansion tax makes sense
Messy deals and fudged compromises: an inevitable feature of coalition politics. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the resulting policy will always be bad. As a result of grubby negotiations in Downing… Continue reading
42 CommentsClegg biography claims the Lib Dems want a new coalition agreement
Lib Dem conference this year brings with it the serialisation of Jasper Gerard’s biography of Nick Clegg. The focus will be on the claims that deputy Prime Minister has promised… Continue reading
11 CommentsA growing argument about the 50p rate
With the Eurozone and American economies both at risk of a double dip recession, how to get the British economy moving again is going to be one of the defining… Continue reading
31 CommentsAllowing localism to flourish
David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, and 551 local councillors have written to the Times (£) warning that short-term cuts to care charities will bequeath deeper medium-term… Continue reading
3 CommentsLawson: don’t do it George
Lord Lawson has given George Osborne’s Budget an A-minus. Writing in today’s Times (£), the former chancellor said that his successor ‘got the big questions right’ by sticking to deficit… Continue reading
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