🚨 New research 🚨

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
Why tax cuts matter
With many commentators and policy makers still doubting the need for tax cuts, despite the record tax burden, the TPA’s research and campaigning is more important than ever.

Our eggheads have been busy conducting an in-depth analysis ([link removed]) of what happens to growth, investment, and wages when the tax burden is too high - and, unsurprisingly, it doesn’t make for happy reading.
The findings show that most experts place the optimal tax burden for boosting growth at between 20 and 30 per cent of GDP. The UK’s stands at 36.3 per cent, a post-war high (and forecast to go higher still). Should we really be surprised by the anaemic growth we’ve been putting up with for years?

Of course, others think there are better ways to get the economy going. It was recently reported that treasury mandarins favoured increasing immigration ([link removed]) over letting people keep more of their hard-earned money. While other factors do play a part, the evidence is clear that tax is important and any government serious about growth has to include bringing down the burden in its plan. You can read our findings in full here. ([link removed])
With all this in mind, we’re campaigning for the chancellor to use his upcoming budget to cut income tax ([link removed]) . By cutting the headline rates or unfreezing thresholds, Jeremy Hunt can give our economy and household budgets a much needed boost. Our chief executive, John O’Connell, took our call to readers of the Sun ([link removed]) : “The Chancellor needs to seize this opportunity and push for an income tax cut, putting more money back where it belongs – in the pockets of hardworking Brits.”

With just over a month to go before Hunt takes to the despatch box, we need as many of you as possible to support our campaign. Be sure to sign our petition and share it with your friends and family here. ([link removed]) With your help, we can secure some much needed relief for hard-pressed taxpayers across the country!

You can help support TPA research and campaigning by clicking here to donate today! ([link removed])
Petition delivered to the treasury
After tens of thousands of people signed our petition to put a stop to public sector golden goodbyes, we hand delivered it to the treasury this week.

In December, our investigation found that civil servants were paid a staggering £150 million in exit payments in 2022. Covered in the Daily Mail ([link removed]) , these figures show that ministers, despite having the power to cap payments, have failed to get a grip of these mega payouts, including almost £400,000 paid to a former treasury official.
These latest numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. As our Town Hall Rich List ([link removed]) shows, the problem is not confined to Whitehall. Amongst the councils that bothered to publish accounts ([link removed]'%20Alliance-,Great%20British%20Council%20Audit%3A%20Transparency%20crisis%20as%20hundreds%20of,fail%20to%20publish%20audited%20accounts&text=Just%2031%20British%20councils%2C%20under,any%20accounts%20in%202022%2F23) for 2022/23, over £3 million was paid out in golden goodbyes.

The government can now be in no doubt about what the British public thinks about these shocking sums. It’s time for ministers to act and take a stand for taxpayers by capping these huge payments!
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
£600 million package for councils

As councils received a £600 million funding boost, our head of campaigns, Elliot Keck, took to the GB News studio to discuss what this means for local residents and their tax bills ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
Despite this extra funding, as Elliot explained, council taxpayers won’t be celebrating just yet ([link removed]) : “You look at the broader picture and council tax has gone up by 79 per cent in real terms since it was introduced. We’ve seen council tax amounting to over 10 per cent of people's salaries in some parts of the country… It looks like it’ll be another year of five per cent increases.”
Productivity improvements must go hand-in-hand with spending cuts

With the head of the National Audit Office making it clear that the public sector is wasting £10 billion a year by failing to boost its productivity, writing for CapX, TPA researcher Jonathan Eida tells us why we need spending cuts alongside any future productivity gains ([link removed]) .
In this important op-ed ([link removed]) , Jonathan makes clear: “In order to see the benefits of public sector productivity and economic growth, the government must prioritise cutting spending; not only as a means to reinvest in public services or increase the reach of government, but to ease the burden on taxpayers and put the economy on a stable footing for a sustainable future.” Quite right!
Town hall salaries

It emerged this week that the new York and North Yorkshire combined authority will be employing 54 staff with an annual cost of £4.5 million ([link removed]) !
Joanna Marchong, our investigations campaign manager, spoke to the Yorkshire Post telling readers: “Combined authorities often deliver cheaper, more efficient services and York and North Yorkshire combined authority should be no exception. Officials must iron out the details and ensure residents are getting value for money.”
Blog of the week
A tale of two councils

In this week’s blog ([link removed]) , Jonathan has taken a look at two councils with vastly different council tax bills. Westminster and Rutland councils represent two ends of the council tax spectrum - Westminster with the lowest rates and Rutland with the highest.
Jonathan has dug beneath the headlines and into the finances of both authorities to work out just why there is such a disparity. Whilst it is not simply a case of a well run council versus a poorly run one, as Jonathan notes: “clearly council bosses in Rutland still have questions to answer. And they even more clearly have a new year’s resolution worth adopting: to try and make council tax bills only the second most expensive in the country. That would be a start.”

Click to read more ([link removed])
One more thing...
This week, the TPA team bid farewell to two of our longstanding members of staff - policy analyst, Thomas Ryan and digital campaign manager, Joe Ventre.

Tom and Joe have made great contributions to the TPA’s work over recent years, from research papers, to graphics, to broadcast appearances. While we will miss them greatly, we wish them all the best in their new roles.

Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager

[link removed]

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** [link removed] ([link removed])
** YouTube ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2024 The TaxPayers' Alliance, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in to receiving our updates, or we have a legitimate interest to contact you about our work.



TaxPayers' Alliance is a trading name of The TaxPayers' Alliance Limited, a company incorporated in England & Wales under company registration no. 04873888 and whose registered office is at 55 Tufton Street, London SW1P 3QL.



You can read our privacy notice here: [link removed]
Our mailing address is:
The TaxPayers' Alliance
55 Tufton Street
London, London SW1P 3QL
United Kingdom
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.