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After months of speculation and prevarication, on Wednesday Rishi Sunak finally took the plunge and named 4th July as election day. If current polling is any indication of the result, it looks likely that Sir Keir Starmer will be strolling through the doors of Number 10 in just a few weeks time.
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It’s not just the polls that might be keeping the prime minister up at night. Historical precedent is not exactly on his side. A recent TPA briefing note looking at how governments which raise or cut the tax burden during a parliament then perform in elections will not make for pretty reading with the current administration firmly in the former camp. Perhaps unsurprisingly, on average, governments which won reelection cut the tax burden. This Conservative government is on course to raise the tax burden to an 80 year high.
Why is this happening? Well, the failure to tackle the cost of government crisis has a huge part to play, as does the ever increasing cost of healthcare, welfare, and pensions (keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming research on public sector pensions). As our chief executive, John O’Connell, explained to the Telegraph: “Unless there’s significant reform on one or all of these ‘big three’, any government is going to struggle to get spending under control, so that they can deliver meaningful tax cuts. Labour saying they won’t put up headline rates on income tax is all well and good, but as we’ve seen with the current government, there are ways they can get around that to squeeze taxpayers more.”
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As the election draws closer we’ll be keeping you up to date with all the latest developments and pledges, so you’ve got the best information available when it comes to marking your cross on polling day. Regardless of who wins, the TPA will continue to stand up for taxpayers and battle against waste. Will you join the fight by clicking here to donate?
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Town Hall Rich List Roadshow: Winchester
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As the only group that prioritises local campaigns alongside national ones, our team love getting out and about. This week, kicking off our Town Hall Rich List Roadshow, we descended on Winchester, home of Hampshire county council.
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Regular readers might remember that the former director of culture, community and business services topped our rich list having received over £650,000 in 2022-23. Our researcher, Shimeon Lee, explained from the ground: “As authorities across the country plead poverty and hike rates for residents, the cost of senior officials is going through the roof.” Check out Shimeon’s video below.
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If you’ve not already done so, be sure to sign our petition to stop council tax rises here. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be taking our message to high streets right across the country. Watch this space for when the TPA will be visiting a council near you!
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Education, education, education
Once the slogan of Tony Blair’s New Labour, education is once again set to be a hot topic in the election. Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, seems intent on imposing VAT on private schools should he become prime minister on 5th July. Whatever you might think of private schooling, it’s important to know what such a move would mean for taxpayers.
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New TPA research has shown that revenues raised could be very quickly consumed by the increased costs to state schools from children removed from private schools made unaffordable by the policy. Speaking to City A.M. John told readers: “VAT on private schools is a clear cut case of a policy gimmick that will do grievous harm to families with potentially pathetic results for revenues.”
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Junk the licence fee
Bosses at the BBC have opted to shell out hundreds of millions of pounds chasing Brits they suspect of not paying the TV tax. Our investigations manager, Joanna Marchong, blasted this latest waste of cash by the BBC, telling the Sun: “Struggling households will be furious with this blatant waste of money by the Beeb. Auntie has opted for a contract with an exorbitant price tag, in an attempt to prop up the out-dated licence fee.”
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Following up on Talk, Elliot Keck, our head of campaigns explained to Mike Graham: “You could have got 130 Gary Linekers for that money. The really shocking thing is that this is people they suspect of not paying the licence fee. They don’t even know!”
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When did the police stop policing?
There were over 430,000 instances of shoplifting last year, the highest on record. In London, 40 blade offences take place every day. In this week’s blog, TPA researcher, Callum McGoldrick, asks the question “When did the police stop policing?”
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Callum digs into the details noting: “Banning the police from spending money on woke hobby horses, slashing police red tape, and directing their focus to genuine crime rather than social media posts are just a handful of things the government could do.”
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Kent county council has been accused of losing £2.8 million last year through fraud and human error. This included paying £63,000 to a care company for a deceased person.
Council bosses need to get a grip and treat ratepayers money with the respect it deserves!
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Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager
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