This week, we published our submission to the treasury for what we think Jeremy Hunt should include in his budget next month. Perhaps unsurprisingly, our wish list includes a number of tax cuts.Â
As regular readers will know, the tax burden is at a 70-year high and forecast to rise further still. Our recent paper, which got a mention in the Telegraph this week, showed just how much of a drag a high tax burden can be on growth.
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With proposals in our submission for, amongst others, cuts to income, corporation, and inheritance tax, the chancellor now has a clear roadmap for how to get a handle on Britain's burgeoning tax burden. With spending restraint, the cost of government crisis can be brought under control too.
As our chief executive, John OâConnell, explained in a recent op-ed for ConservativeHome our high-tax, high-spend model isnât working: âPeople arenât becoming richer and more prosperous, and the cripplingly low growth levels means that public services donât appear as well-funded as they should be, given the size of the tax burden.â
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Tackling the tax burden has become a matter of urgency, yet ministers still canât seem to make up their minds. Just this week, the chancellor attempted to pour cold water on the idea of meaningful tax cuts any time soon. Which is why your support is more important than ever.Â
If youâve not already done so, be sure to sign our petition to cut income tax now, here. Weâll be hand-delivering it to the treasury in advance of the budget so we need as many people as possible to sign the petition. The louder the voice of taxpayers, the better chance we have of forcing Jeremy Huntâs hand. With your support, this is a battle we can win!
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Council hypocrisy
After it emerged this week that some of the most green-focussed councils have racked up some of the highest amounts of gas and electricity usage, our head of campaigns, Elliot Keck, sat down with Mike Graham in the TalkTV studio to call out this latest example of town hall hypocrisy.
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Standing up for ratepayers, Elliot told viewers: âThe hypocrisy is pretty astounding⊠People just want their bins to be collected, their libraries to be open, their schools to be run. They donât want tomes on how to save the world from council officers!â Watch the wide ranging conversation in full here
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Mandarin microaggressionsÂ
It sometimes seems like thereâs no end to the ways civil servants will find to squander taxpayersâ cash, but even we were shocked to hear that officials have spent ÂŁ160,000 on training to spot microaggressions, including rolling your eyes and looking at your phone.
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Naturally, John was scathing about this latest example of public sector waste, rightly telling Daily Mail readers: âTaxpayers are bound to realise that this is another opportunity for civil servants to doss about on their dime.â
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Taxpayer funded lobbying
As the government struggles to get its Rwanda bill through the House of Lords, itâs come to light that ministers are doling out taxpayersâ cash to groups lobbying against their legislation. Since 2020, over ÂŁ200 million has been handed to charities who claimed the bill is âa threat to the universality of human rights.â
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Our researcher, Jonathan Eida, had some advice for the government when he told Daily Express readers: âTaxpayers are sick of paying for the lobbying merry-go-round, with vast sums handed to organisations who fight the government tooth and nail⊠Ministers should focus on ensuring public services are up to scratch, rather than channelling cash into those that work so hard against them.â Hear, hear!
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The War on Waste Blog
The latest edition of our War on Waste blog from TPA investigations campaign manager, Joanna Marchong, certainly doesnât make for cheery reading. From NHS diversity roles to council award ceremonies, thereâs still plenty of fat left to trim.
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As Joanna says: âIn the face of these examples of waste, we urgently need to prioritise spending on frontline services instead of pointless perks and vanity projects.â Quite right!
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Although Jeremy Corbyn may have failed to become prime minister, many of his ideas are still floating around the heads of commentators and policy wonks.
With this in mind, weâve secured âmates-ratesâ for TPA subscribers for Land of the superwoke: a guide to Corbynâs Britain by Lee Rotherham. You can get your copy of this fun (yet frightening) read here. |
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Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager
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