With the Budget less than a month away, it's full steam ahead at the TaxPayers' Alliance. We are leading the charge against tax rises and putting the pressure on Rishi Sunak to make much needed tax cuts.
We revealed this week that the average tax burden has reached a 70-year high. It means the level of taxation as a percentage of GDP under Boris Johnson is likely to be higher than it has been under almost every other postwar prime minister.
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Forensic analysis by the TPA research team found that Winston Churchill reduced the tax burden more than any other postwar prime minister, by 4.5 percent. It also shows that taxes were lower during Churchill’s premiership than they have been under each of the last three Conservative prime ministers.
Our findings were splashed across the front page of The Daily Telegraph, where our chief exec John O'Connell laid out how to get the economy booming again, telling Telegraph reporter Oliver Gill, "In these difficult times, the Chancellor should give hard pressed families and businesses a respite from taxes, offer a rescue to struggling sectors and try to revive the economy."
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Further media coverage followed, notably in the Express, The Sun, The Mirror and The Daily Mail. But it wasn't just print media. Comments by John featured heavily on Times Radio. Millions of Brits are getting the message loud and clear, it's time to cut taxes.
The government must eradicate wasteful spending to balance the books, not hike taxes. The TaxPayers' Alliance will be campaigning night and day for a better deal for Britain's taxpayers.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Ministers must ease the burden on Brits
There are worrying reports that the government is considering introducing "carbon taxes" to achieve its goal of net-zero emissions. In reality this means that consumers will end up paying more for essential goods like heating and food.
Our media team didn't delay in calling out the threat of tax rises and our comments were picked up in multiple national newspapers.
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John O'Connell told The Sun, “New eco taxes would leave slim pickings for struggling families, who rely on cheap energy and food to heat their homes and put dinner on the table. With the highest tax levels in 70 years, taxpayers have already had their belts tightened. Ministers must ease the burden on Brits before any green tax hikes.
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Fighting back against spendthrift councils
Research by the Daily Mail suggests that residents in Bristol are likely to see the highest rises in council tax this year. According to reporter Daniel Martin, "Councillors want tax to rise by the maximum 5 per cent, increasing bills by £87.74 for the average Band D household" and residents all face an an extra £15 for the police and crime commissioner, taking the total to more than £100.
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Asked for my thoughts, I didn't hesitate to call out spendthrift councils. "Taxpayers are fed up with year-after-year of rate rises, especially when councils are wasting so much money. Local authorities should stop pleading poverty and focus on eradicating wasteful spending rather than hammering households with inflation-busting tax hikes."
It's worth noting that last year Bristol City Council lost £37.7 million on a failed energy company and councillors awarded themselves a pay rise.
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Tax cuts would be Boris's finest hour
Further ramping up the pressure on the government, our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall wrote an excellent article for The Conservative Woman detailing the many benefits that tax cuts would bring.
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She writes, "If we do not cut taxes now to recover from the deepest recession since records began, the only alternative to try to climb out of the financial black hole will be disastrous increases."
Adding, "To get us out of this crisis, Johnson would do well to remember what the wise Winston once said: ‘For a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.’ Click here to read the article in full.
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Why the Turing scheme will be even better than Erasmus
At the TaxPayers’ Alliance, we regularly highlight examples of wasteful spending in the higher education sector. Our researcher Scott Simmonds has looked at the UK’s new Turing Scheme, set to replace the EU’s Erasmus+, to see if this might be one example where British taxpayers are getting much better value for money from our institutions.
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He explains that a "slimmed down, targeted approach will provide much needed savings for the taxpayer. In combination with other specialist areas, exiting Erasmus will save the UK money while not losing any core services." Click here to read more.
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We are looking for a researcher to produce hard-hitting research by uncovering new primary data; write longer-form papers; and react swiftly to current events by preparing briefings and short notes.
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To apply, please email [email protected] with a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role. Please include the job title you are applying for in the subject line. The closing date is Friday 19th Februrary 2021. Click here to find out more.
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Money for old rope
The TPA keeps a close eye on public bodies that think they can get away with wasting cash. That's why our team regularly checks the Contracts Finder webpage. It's a database of all contracts tendered and awarded by everything from government departments to parish councils.
We were particularly shocked to discover that the Arts Council wants to spend £100,000 of taxpayers' cash to research "the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic across the cultural workforce."
It doesn't take a genius - or a six-figure sum for that matter - to work out that the arts and entertainment industry has been decimated due to the pandemic. There are surely far better things to be spending this money on.
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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