Public sector pay was the big issue of the week after the government announced it would award a 3 per cent pay rise to NHS staff including nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and salaried GPs. Staff are to be "recognised for their pandemic contribution during an unprecedented year." But as the TaxPayers' Alliance was quick to point out there are serious questions to be answered by the government on how it intends to fund the pay rise.
I was invited onto talkRadio's at prime time to join a debate asking "Should NHS staff receive a pay rise?" Also taking part was an NHS nurse who was unequivocal that they should and stated that a 3 per cent rise was not enough!
I countered that it's not necessarily a question of whether NHS staff deserve a boost to their packets or not but where on earth is the chancellor going to get the money from?
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There is no magic money tree and the country finds itself in dire economic circumstances. National debt has soared past £2 trillion, the tax burden is at a 70-year high and we've had the worst recession in 300 years. And despite all this yet again we're seeing more demands on taxpayers' cash!
That's why we are taking a stand. Taxpayers do not have bottomless pockets. If the government wish to award pay rises then they must make savings elsewhere.
We're doing everything possible to ensure that Downing Street enacts our Save to spend plan that could deliver savings of nearly £43 billion by the end of the current financial year.
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Raising taxes is not the solution to the social care crisis
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Social care was once again making headlines after the Westminster rumour mill suggested there would be a hike in National Insurance to pay for the funding gap. It is understood that the government will seek to increase both employer's and employee's NI by one per cent each. We fought back against calls for yet more tax rises.
Taking to the airwaves our team pointed out that taxpayers' can't take any more hikes. Speaking to Patrick Christys (who was full of praise, describing the TPA as "fabulous" and doing "fantastic work" especially when it comes to holding local government to account) on talkRadio our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall argued that government always seems to want to throw money at the problem rather than trying to make the public sector more efficient.
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Continuing the debate our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre also made the case for more efficient public services on GB News. Citing TPA research from 2019 he laid out that by adopting automation in social care, annual savings of £5.9 billion could be made.
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Funding social care requires a more sustainable solution than simply whacking up taxes on working people and businesses. When politicians earmark tax proceeds for specific items of spending, it is usually smoke and mirrors. National insurance itself is little more than just another income tax, with receipts used for day-to-day spending and quite often wasted.
But there is good news, we're already getting through to the government! Plans for social care funding have been shelved until Autumn. In the corridors of power, we will urge ministers to rethink this assault on taxpayers and look for a long-term funding model.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Pet projects and expensive targets
Calculations by the Daily Mail revealed that "Boris Johnson's green and anti-obesity projects could end up costing Britain's households more than £28,000 each over the coming decade if they are fully implemented." The findings come after a report recommended new taxes on processed foods and the PM's levelling up speech which received lukewarm support to say the least.
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Speaking to the Daily Mail our chief executive John O'Connell stressed that taxpayers are fed up with the tax burden, "Working taxpayers are being battered by demands for more cash. Struggling families face paying more for cars, heating, holidays and food, all when the tax burden is already at a 70-year high. Politicians must come back down to planet earth and focus on cutting these burdens, not get carried away with their pet projects and expensive targets."
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Crazy paving
Powys county council has launched an investigation after council tarmac has allegedly been used to lay private driveways. According to the Daily Telegraph, "One resident had witnessed a “substantial length of drive rolled by council contractors when [public] roads were [still] unfinished”.
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Asked for my thoughts, I told Telegraph journalist Dominic Penna, "It's deeply concerning that taxpayer-funded resources are being misused. Councils have a duty of care with taxpayers' money by ensuring that reliable and honest contractors carry out works. Firms that abuse the public trust must face appropriate repercussions."
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'Lording' it up
The Daily Star revealed that MPs and Lords are able to get "slap up meals" for less than £5 thanks to taxpayers. According to reporter Isobel Dickinson, "Westminster eateries are propped up with public cash because many are loss-making. The money allows MPs to eat cheaply at the four venues currently open."
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In one eatery politicians can enjoy a "starter of celeriac and thyme soup" for just 88 pence. For main they can feast on baked pork chops and all the trimmings for a mere £2.79. Reacting to the taxpayer subsidy, Danielle Boxall said: "Westminster’s many watering holes shouldn’t be propped up by the public purse."
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Cheers! Quids Inn campaign launches new beer mats calling for cheaper pints
On Tuesday night in Westminster, the TaxPayers' Alliance called for tax cuts to support Britain's pubs. We launched our new beer mats, which will be distributed in pubs across the country urging punters to sign our petition.
We may have finally reached 'freedom day', but the government’s VAT reduction for the hospitality sector is coming to an end in September.
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Speaking to our invited audience at the Barley Mow pub, chairman and founder of JD Wetherspoon Tim Martin was adamant that if Britain's boozers are to survive, the government must help this struggling sector. And that's exactly why we’re calling on the government to extend the 5 per cent VAT reduction until April 2023, and include alcoholic drinks.
Recent TPA analysis found that extending this cut could save the UK hospitality sector and consumers £15.7 billion across this financial year and next. In the same vein, there should be a reduction in beer duty too. As our Cut Beer Tax campaign showed, a reduction in duty leads to huge investment in the industry.
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Last week I brought you news that The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust wasted £360,000 on a cancelled music festival it tried to organise.
Like many TPA supporters, Michelle Dewberry of GB News was incensed by the wasteful spending. John O'Connell joined her in studio to tell the nation about this public sector farce. |
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John was scathing of the Trust and made crystal clear that "It's not the job of the public sector to play speculator with taxpayers' money!" Hear! Hear! Watch the interview in full.
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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