All eyes will be on chancellor Rishi Sunak next Wedneday as sets out government spending for the next financial year. It will be a key moment for the future of Britain's economy. The Tory manifesto promised more spending so it won't be surprising if he decides to splash the cash.
However, there is a pressing need to stem the rapid flow of public money and balance the books. As the UK's unofficial watchdog on wasteful spending, the TaxPayers' Alliance has devised 15 policies that could deliver total annual savings of £43 billion next year. By 2025-26 savings to the taxpayer could be as high as £73 billion.
Ending national pay bargaining, defunding the Arts Council, reforming student loans, scrapping foreign development aid and freezing public sector pay are just a few of our ideas that would bring some much needed fiscal relief for taxpayers. Read our proposals to save billions.
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Setting out our case in an exclusive opinion piece for The Sunday Telegraph our chief executive John O'Connell explains why the War on Waste is so important. "Spending someone else’s money on someone else leads to carelessness, and we must refuse the tired argument that there is no more fat left to trim. The government is fairly expected to deliver on its manifesto commitments, while also dealing with the pandemic. With that in mind, it must save to spend."
This is just the beginning though. Day by day, week by week we are ramping up the pressure on the government. The TaxPayers' Alliance will be unrelenting in this campaign - taxpayers can't afford to lose it.
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TPA Talks with Lionel Shriver
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Another episode of TPA Talks and another absolutely fantastic guest. Lionel Shriver is a renowned American author and journalist who spoke to our research director Duncan Simpson following the US presidential election.
She didn't hold back in her criticism of President Trump but nor did she have anything positive to say about Joe Biden. There was some praise for Trump though. She was very supportive of his cuts to the corporate tax rate - arguing that it had been too high for too long and driven earnings overseas. Something we at the TPA very much agree with - despite cuts to UK corporation taxes in recent years, tax revenue has actually increased.
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On the subject of lockdowns, Lionel was adamant about the economic carnage they cause. She said it was the "worst of all possible worlds in terms of taxes" with giant welfare programmes handing out money but at the same time the tax base is being decimated.
I found her comments on the UK/US 'special relationship" thought-provoking. She makes the compelling case that it's a term only used in the UK and therefore a relationship that's only in one direction isn't very special.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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A freeze on public sector pay
There are multiple reports that Rishi Sunak will freeze public sector pay, which seems fair given the devastation caused in the private sector. Our good friends at the Centre for Policy Studies have calculated this will save taxpayers £3.8 billion.
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Speaking to Julia Hartley-Brewer of talkRadio, Duncan explained why he supported the freeze. He said for years public sector workers have had a "very generous situation". Meanwhile those in the private sector have not been so fortunate and are now shouldering the burden of massive government spending. Click here to watch a clip.
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"Lazy" civil servants push up the bill for HS2
A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) blames bureaucrats for failing to enact a £5 billion saving for High Speed 2 (HS2). Mandarins were described as "lazy" in a Daily Telegraph article after the NAO report said they "did not put enough effort into developing the actions necessary to realise them".
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Asked for comment our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall summed up the feeling of many Brits fed up of such wasteful spending, "With total costs in the hundreds of billions and this missed opportunity to make savings, the project’s budget is off the rails. If they won’t do the right thing and scrap the project, ministers should at least keep a close eye on the costs.”
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Rishi should stop dishing out the dosh
Ahead of Wednesday's comprehensive spending review Danielle also set out why the chancellor should stop dishing out dosh and focus on making savings.
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In an article for the Express she proudly stands up for taxpayers, saying, "...no matter what national events come our way, taxpayers know they will be footing the bill... Cutting back quangos, rethinking pensions, reforming Whitehall and freezing public sector pay and perks - what we need is targeted cuts that will reignite the country’s productivity and inject some reality into the public finances."
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The Sovereign Grant needs a reality check
Popular Netflix series The Crown has gripped viewers around the world. As many enjoy binge watching season four, Duncan Simpson discusses how we fund the monarchy and whether it's time for a new approach to the Sovereign Grant.
In short he argues that like any other taxpayer-funded institution, the royals must not be sheltered from economic hardship and the Sovereign Grant should be budgeted over several years like departmental expenditures. We don't expect the monarchy to sit on the back row of a Ryanair flight to a foreign engagement, but we do expect costs to be reined in. Click here to read more.
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Intergenerational fairness: Reforming the triple lock
As grassroots assistant Kieran Neild writes this week British businesses have been dragged kicking and screaming back into a nationwide lockdown. The burden of the resulting economic damage will fall hard on the working age population.
Kieran explains there is an urgent need to redress the current inequality between young and old people. He argues that reforming the triple lock will make it fairer for overburdened taxpayers and younger generations, "Intergenerational fairness presents an opportunity to give every taxpayer a fairer deal at every stage of their lives." In desperate times like these we need to start to live within our means. We owe it to the taxpayers of tomorrow.
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5 times government procurement cost taxpayers dear
The National Audit Office recently published its report on government procurement during the coronavirus pandemic. It highlights a number of issues around public sector procurement - of which the TPA has long called for serious reform.
But just how much of taxpayers’ money has been wasted in recent years? I've detailed 5 times poor procurement and planning has resulted in billions of pounds of public funds going down the drain. Read them in full here.
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BBC spending labelled "unacceptable"
Yet again the Beeb has wasted more of licence fee payers' cash. The Daily Star reports that more than £350,000 was spent on taxis, trains and hotels that were never used. According to reporter Matthew Davis, "Aborted train trips cost £273,000, cancelled hotel bookings another £64,800 and abandoned taxi journeys £25,000."
This damning example of wasteful spending follows just months after the decision to take millions of free TV licences away from over-75s. £350,000 could have paid for over 2,200 licences. Is it any wonder people are fed up of the BBC?
Commenting on the profligacy John O'Connell summed up the mood of many Brits, “Spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ cash on travel and hotels that weren’t even used is simply unacceptable.” The TPA will continue to call for the licence fee to be abolished.
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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