Tax
The implications of today’s tax releases
I suspect that three important consequences will flow from the release today of the London mayoral candidates tax returns. First, voters will see that Boris Johnson’s rage at Ken Livingstone… Continue reading
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Transcript: Balls vs Alexander on tax credits
On the Today programme this morning, Ed Balls aired his criticisms of the government’s tax credit changes — which come in tomorrow. He was followed by Danny Alexander, who emphasised… Continue reading
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How much tax do the mayoral candidates pay?
So, Ken has now released his tax details. He hasn’t gone as far as Lib Dem candidate Brian Paddick, who’s published his full tax returns for the past three years.… Continue reading
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Is Ken done for?
Last night, during their television debate, all four London Mayoral candidates declared they would fully disclose their tax returns. This morning, Boris, Brian Paddick and Jenny Jones have duly done… Continue reading
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Balls goes on the attack over tax credits
After all the commotion about various policies in last month’s Budget, the focus this morning has shifted to measures announced back in 2010. Why? Because they take effect tomorrow. So… Continue reading
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The politics of pasties
The row over the so-called pasty tax is a proxy. It is really a row about whether David Cameron and George Osborne get what it is like to worry about… Continue reading
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Revealed: the grey recovery
Are pensioners doing their bit for the recovery? The agenda of ‘intergenerational fairness’ has arisen in response to the idea that they are not, and ought to be taxed more.… Continue reading
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A plan that could change the face of future Budgets
‘I’ve never seen a government document with a Laffer curve in it before’, declared Ed Balls last week. Well it looks like he might be seeing a lot more of… Continue reading
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What did the public make of the Budget?
After weeks of hearing what people think about the policies that Osborne might’ve adopted, we now have the first evidence of what they make of the Budget itself. Today’s YouGov… Continue reading
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Osborne needs to speed up
Will the Budget make a difference? Nowadays, we have a quick and easy guide: Box 3.1 from the Office for Budget Responsibility — otherwise known as the ‘blind bit of difference’… Continue reading
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Another voice: Pensioners ought to contribute more
The pensioner lobby has been predictably and tiresomely strident about George Osborne’s ‘granny tax’. Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga, called the move to bring pensioners’ tax allowances into line with… Continue reading
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The IFS gives its Budget verdict
The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ briefing is always a good place to pick up a few interesting nuggets of detail about the Budget — and this year’s is no exception.… Continue reading
13 CommentsSoak the Old
So George Osborne has received a kicking in today’s press. That’s what happens when you try to disguise a tax-raising budget as a tax-cutting affair. This is also a fine… Continue reading
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Transcript: Osborne defends his Budget
Here’s the full transcript of this morning’s Today programme interview with George Osborne: Evan Davis: If you believe in using the tax system to cut the incomes of those at… Continue reading
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Why Osborne saved Wallace and Gromit
‘It is the determined policy of this government to keep Wallace and Gromit exactly where they are.’ So proclaimed George Osborne in his Budget speech yesterday, as he announced new… Continue reading
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Osborne hopes business will see past the bad headlines
Today’s front pages concentrate on the so-called ‘granny tax’, the surprise of the Budget. But the real test of this Budget is going to be whether it delivers growth. If… Continue reading
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Balls goes on the attack against 45p
Ed Balls committed Labour to voting against the reduction in the 50p rate at his post-Budget briefing. But he wouldn’t say whether or not Labour would pledge to restore it… Continue reading
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All that matters now is growth
With every Budget, the early Cameron emphasis on greenery and General Well Being not Gross Domestic Product seems a more distant memory. Today’s Budget showed that, to Osborne at least,… Continue reading
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The Lib Dems are happy with what they got
This Budget told us something interesting about the coalition: that there’s more juice left in it than some of us thought. Judging by recent coalition tensions, one might have expected… Continue reading
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Behind Osborne’s 50p tax change
How significant was this Budget? On an economic level, not very. There’s no discernible impact on growth: all of the main forecasts have more or less stayed the same since… Continue reading
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