What a week it's been for the TaxPayers' Alliance! Our in-depth investigation into government waste showed millions of taxpayers how poorly their money has been spent. Here are 5 shocking examples you may have missed.
1. Britain helps China to grow rice: You would think the world's second biggest economy is more than adept at growing rice. But almost unbelievably the Department of Business Enterprise and Industrial Strategy is sending the Chinese £478,906 to help them grow more!
2. Council vanity: Despite local authorities constantly complaining about a lack of funds, 14 of them spent a total of £10,000 on portraits of council leaders. Essex County Council was the worst offender. A painting of former boss John Jowers cost local ratepayers nearly £4,000. £38 of which was a meeting with the artist so Mr Jowers could decide how he would like to pose for the portrait.
3. BBC fat cats: Already well-heeled BBC bosses splashed £300,000 of licence fee payers' cash on "lavish hotels and luxury flights". In one case, execs enjoyed a stay in a £475 per night Hollywood boutique while they attended a "five-day television event" in Los Angeles.
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4. Barking mad: Councils spent nearly £250,000 on 'free' dog poo bags which they distributed to residents. Spelthorme Borough Council - which has over £1 billion invested in commercial property - splurged nearly £40,000 alone on the bags. What a mess!
5. An app for stressed staff: Over £100,000 of public money has been allocated by the Cabinet Office to create a "Digital Wellness" app for its employees. The Cabinet Office declined to comment when asked by the Daily Mail. Need I say more!
This is just the beginning though. As Britain's waste watchdog we will continue to fight for British taxpayers. We will not stop until every council, quango and government department realises that it's not their money, it's taxpayers' money!
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Policy win! Foreign aid spending cut
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On Wednesday our team studied proceedings as Rishi Sunak delivered his Comprehensive Spending Review to parliament. Overall we were disappointed with what he delivered but there was some much needed good news for taxpayers.
The chancellor backed our proposals to pare back spending on overseas aid. Savings of £4 billion are most welcome and there was even a hint that the cut in foreign aid may continue for the foreseeable future.
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But the spending review laid bare the sorry state of the public finances. In a must read piece, TPA chief executive John O'Connell adeptly laid out why the country needs a new Parliamentary Budget Committee to ensure efficient government spending:
"We know Rishi Sunak is going to spend more money, covid or no covid. But for the long-term health of the public finances, our system must ensure that we work to get value for every single pound before it is spent. A Parliamentary Budget Committee can help root out waste before it happens."
The TPA will continue to put pressure on Downing Street to enact policies that stop waste and get the economy booming.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the corridors of power
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Our campaigns this week weren't limited to the front pages - we took the voice of taxpayers directly to the (virtual!) corridors of power. On Tuesday, our research director Duncan Simpson appeared in front of the Commons business select committee as part of their inquiry on levelling-up.
Appearing alongside metro-mayors, Duncan gave expert evidence on the government's signature programme. He made it clear that the priority for the government should be pursuing its levelling up agenda through regulatory changes, not just spending endless amounts of money.
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He argued passionately for the introduction of freeports and removing barriers to individuals, such as by seeing more excellent projects like Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN). Regular readers will know that B4RN are a great example of communities getting bureaucracy out of the way and cracking on with the infrastructure that they need.
Unfortunately, the spending review on Wednesday showed that the government remains committed to irresponsible projects, not least HS2. But the TPA will continue to make the case to MPs that there are much better - and more taxpayer friendly - alternatives.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Government shouldn't dream of raising taxes
Shortly after our War on Waste investigation made front page news, John O'Connell was reeling of our findings to talkRadio presenter Mike Graham. John explained to millions of listeners that the government needs to be doing more to reduce sector waste before "even dreaming of hiking taxes on the already decimated private sector." Hear! Hear!
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Mike described the investigation as "Great work, an extraordinary piece of journalism!" and the "TaxPayers' Alliance really and truly are an organisation to be admired!" Click here to watch a clip from the interview.
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Tories can't afford to forget fiscal restraint
The Comprehensive Spending Review dodged a lot of the tricky trade-offs. As TPA media campaign manager Danielle Boxall set out in the Express, the Tories made a manifesto commitment that debt will be lower at the end of their tenure. The government must make savings if it wants to afford its many spending commitments.
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She expertly restated the case that the chancellor can save billions, "We all know Whitehall mandarins have no idea what life outside the M25 is like, so let's take back control of public sector pay and make sure it actually reflects the cost of living in every part of the country. It would save us almost £30 billion over the next five years."
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Bungling bosses reap rewards
Danielle continued campaigning for taxpayers, this time taking on execs at Public Health England. The Sun reported "nine PHE chiefs were paid the same as, or more than, the Prime Minister." Some pocketed bonuses worth between £5,000 and £10,000 in the months before the nannying quango was scrapped.
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Danielle didn't hold back in her comments to reporter Katherine Ferguson, “Taxpayers will be enraged at these generous bonuses. Bonuses should only be awarded to those who deserve them. Taxpayers don’t want to see their hard-earned cash rewarding failed quangocrats.”
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Households face £100 council tax rise
Amid all the frenzy of the spending review we also discovered that councils in England will be allowed to raise rates by an inflation-busting 5 per cent next year. This means the average band D bill will increase by over £100 from £1,818 to £1,924.
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Asked comment by the Daily Mail I was adamant that councils need to get a grip on their finances before hiking taxes, "Constant council tax rises are hitting residents hard, yet many people wonder exactly what they are getting for their money. Town hall bosses are still wasting cash on senior salaries, pet projects and bungled commercial property purchases. Local authorities should be seeking out these savings before hammering households with eye-watering rate rises."
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It's time to make the stamp duty holiday permanent
Our operations director Sara Rainwater took aim at stamp duty land tax this week. Drawing on her personal experiences she argues that this unfair tax punishes those who have the "temerity to work hard, save up, and buy their own home."
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We very much welcomed the recent temporary rise in the threshold to £500,000. But as Sara adeptly explains making it permanent can change lives. That's why we’re urging the government not to kill off thousands of hard-working people’s aspirations. Instead, let’s make the stamp duty holiday a permanent fixture, and unlock homes.
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It's 'snow' joke for taxpayers
Lisburn and Castlereagh council has been criticised by residents after learning it plans to spend more than half a million pounds on Christmas celebrations this year. The decision by the Northern Ireland authority has been given a frosty reception by ratepayers who are demanding that the money be diverted to essential services instead.
While the TPA doesn't begrudge councils spending some money on Christmas festivities, doesn't £535,000 of taxpayers' cash seem a bit over the top? As we revealed last year, local authorities in the UK spent more than £310,000 on celebrities to switch on Christmas lights.
With the nation facing a harsh winter, every penny of public money matters. One Christmas present all taxpayers would welcome is some serious financial prudence by councils.
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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