Please help the hospitality sector by signing our petition to cut VAT.

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Quids Inn: Demand VAT relief for Britain's pubs
There was great news this week as many hospitality venues were finally able to open again. But after a year of coronavirus restrictions, the industry has been battered. The government’s VAT reduction to 5 per cent is coming to an end in September. After a summer of fun, Britain's bars, pubs and restaurants will need a helping hand to get through winter; especially if covid restrictions make a return.

That’s why the TaxPayers' Alliance is leading calls for the government to extend the 5 per cent VAT reduction until April 2023, and include alcoholic drinks. Analysis by our research team found that extending the existing cut alone would save the sector £7.1 billion in tax.
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We're calling for a 5 per cent VAT cut on:
* Food and all drinks (including alcohol) from pubs, bars, cafés and restaurants; including takeaways.

* Accommodation at pubs, hotels, bed and breakfasts, including self-catering.

* Attractions like cinemas, zoos, amusement parks, museums, fairs, theatres, concerts.

Please help the hospitality sector by signing our petition - we’ll take it straight to the Treasury! ([link removed])
Grassroots news: Town Hall Rich List
It's just over a week since the release of Town Hall Rich List ([link removed]) and it continues to receive extensive coverage in countless local newspapers. But we haven't rested on our laurels. We've been making the case on social media too. Our on-the-ground reports have been a big hit online.

I visited Essex County Council's offices in Chelmsford where 40 staff were remunerated by over £100,000. The wage bill for these employees alone was over £5.3 million in 2019-20. Watch the full report. ([link removed])
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From his hometown of Swansea, my colleague Joe Ventre told our followers that 17 local authority chiefs received over £100,000 in 2019-20. This was despite "brutal council tax hikes" on local residents.
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Enough is enough. We're calling on councils to stop wasting our money whilst at the same demanding more and more of it. Councils tax rises must stop while there is still waste yet to be eliminated.
Please SIGN and SHARE our petition! ([link removed])
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
Taxpayer-funded lobbying

Whenever a new lobbying scandal emerges, the forgotten victim tends to be the taxpayer. As our chief executive, John O'Connell wrote for ConservativeHome this week ([link removed]) , "lobbying has become synonymous with pleas from the well-connected for politicians and bureaucrats to reach even further into taxpayers’ pockets."

John adds, "Many of the most prolific offenders are funded by taxpayers’ money themselves, using cash given to them by the Government (or councils, quangos etc) and access to senior people to lobby for even more money to be spent on their cause."
We need a system that tackles the root cause of the problem; one that says enough is enough to evermore spending pledges. That means fewer grants, streamlined quangos with stricter operational remits, ditching pointless schemes that waste time and money, better and more transparent contracts and ending programmes that have run their course or achieved their objective. Click here to read John's excellent article in full. ([link removed])
A wealth tax is a terrible idea

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed a one-off wealth tax to cover the cost of the pandemic. Our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall was quick out of the blocks to put the brakes on this terrible idea. Writing for City AM's debate section she made a watertight against a wealth tax. ([link removed])
"After the deepest recession in 300 years, the last thing ministers should be considering is new taxes." She added, "We desperately need businesses to succeed, to support jobs and investment. Punishing them for making a profit is incoherent. Instead, the government should be doing exactly the opposite: cutting taxes for everyone." Hear! Hear!

Letting taxpayers keep more of their earnings is the only way to get the economy back on track.
Firms paying back furlough

In recent weeks and months, we've witnessed a number of firms paying back furlough money to taxpayers. This came after many businesses thought they would need the cash but thankfully profits faired well during the pandemic.
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On the other side of the coin, we've seen a number of companies keep furlough money despite making very large profits. Speaking to Julia Hartley-Brewer on her talkRadio show I argued these companies must consider that this is taxpayers' money. Brits will remember those who helped to rebuild the public finances and those that didn't. Click here to watch the interview in full. ([link removed])
Blog of the week
Frozen income tax thresholds: bad news for taxpayers?

At the budget the chancellor announced a freeze in income tax thresholds until 2026. While not technically a tax rise, thanks to fiscal drag (meaning thresholds remain the same while people are moved into them by inflation), millions will pay more tax in the coming years.

Writing for the TPA blog I ask has the time of taking people out of tax come to an end? ([link removed]) I spoke with the TPA’s chief executive, John O’Connell, and research fellow, Rory Meakin, to get their expert insight and what the future for income tax should be.
As John and Rory explain, the freezing of tax thresholds is detrimental to taxpayers - especially when you also consider the sustained tax burden is at a 70-year high ([link removed]) . Linking the Personal Allowance and thresholds with wage growth would help to avoid fiscal drag and ensure a better deal for millions. Click here to read more. ([link removed])
War on Waste
What a load of rubbish!

With many Band D households facing tax bills of over £2,000, a number of councils in Kent are extracting even more money ([link removed]) from them thanks to garden waste charges.

According to the Kent Messenger, Medway is the only authority in the region that doesn't charge an annual fee for garden waste bin collections. Residents in Dartford pay the most, a £44 annual fee, plus £46 for a bin.

Speaking to journalist Thomas Reeves I explained why taxpayers are up in arms about these stealth taxes, "Many people I speak to are absolutely livid about these charges. Despite another year of inflation-busting council tax rises, even more demands for tax are placed on residents."

We are calling on local authorities must ramp up efficiency and root out wasteful spending before plundering taxpayers' pockets.
Please send me your examples of councils wasting money. (mailto:[email protected]?subject=War%20on%20Waste)

Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager

Make a donation to the TaxPayers' Alliance ([link removed])

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