Revelations about a series of parties last year in Number 10 have rightly sparked anger across the country. We've already seen one resignation this week and there could well be more in the coming days.
This Downing Street debacle has reinforced the importance of accountability and public trust. Politicians and bureaucrats must remember that it's taxpayers who pay their wages.
That's why it is so important that those who make the rules must not break the rules.
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Public officials should never be above the law, or believe they should be treated differently to everyone else.
They work for the taxpayer. At the TaxPayers' Alliance, we're calling on politicians and bureaucrats to practice what they preach. Brits deserve better!
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Britain doesn't need any more taxes
Research by the Resolution Foundation has called for a windfall tax on homeowners following a surge in house prices. The think tank believes homeowners represent a fifth of all wealth in the country and are calling for it to be taxed.
Naturally, the TaxPayers' Alliance didn't dither or delay in calling out this terrible idea.
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Speaking to the Express our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall didn't hold back, "Another tax on moving is the last thing the country needs. It would stop young people buying a home and starting a family, discourage elderly people from downsizing, and make it harder to move to a new place.
At a time like this, the government should be easing the 70-year high tax burden to help people to buy their own homes and get on in life.
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Britain's biggest rail operator under fire
Go-Ahead which runs one in four rail services in Britain has found itself in hot water after failing to repay tens of millions of pounds to the taxpayer. The company was recently stripped of its Southeastern franchise after execs failed to repay £25 million in 2014.Â
However, according to The Daily Telegraph between 2015 and 2019 senior bosses pocketed £4.8 million in share and cash bonuses. As a result there have been calls in some quarters to recoup the money owed from these executives.
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Asked for comment I made clear that action must be taken, "The public will be furious at this shocking state of affairs. Given the events of the last two years, every penny of taxpayers' cash matters more than ever. Ministers must do everything possible to claw back as much of it as possible."
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£30 million to help civil service work from home
An investigation by the Daily Mail has revealed the staggering amounts of money spent on helping civil servants work from home during the pandemic. According to the paper, one quango "splashed out almost £180 on a simple cable that can be found for just £5.99 online" while another spent £499 on eight footrests.
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Weighing in on the excessive spending our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre expressed his anger, "Bureaucrats using public money to kit out their home offices will horrify taxpayers. Civil servants understandably needed equipment to work during lockdown but paying over the odds for items is a slap in the face for private-sector workers."
If mandarins insist on forking out large sums to go remote long-term, unnecessary office space should be sold off to meet the cost.
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A busy week in Westminster
But Joe didn't stop there. He was up bright and early on Friday morning to recap the week's big news stories on talkRadio. Speaking to presenter Peter Cardwell he covered everything from the scandals engulfing Boris Johnson to Calderdale council's half decorated Christmas tree.
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It's been a busy week for the TPA team but we're not resting on our laurels in the run-up to Christmas. We'll continue to work day and night to ensure taxpayers' interests are represented.
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A step towards simpler taxes?
You’d be forgiven for not knowing, but last week was Tax Administration and Maintenance Day. On this auspicious occasion, tax officials publish a load of in depth policy updates. After the fanfare of the Budget, this is the day for under-the-radar adjustments.
As Joe writes, this time round HMRC and the Treasury accepted a number of small but welcome recommendations from the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) regarding Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance has long campaigned for the simplification of Britain’s tax code; a sprawling document with a page count to dwarf War and Peace.
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Like much of the work of the OTS, the changes suggested and accepted by the government in this instance are undoubtedly granular, but they are a step in the right direction.
If we are to have any hope of achieving true tax simplification, ministers should consider our proposals to cut the Capital Gains Tax rate to a flat 10 per cent and raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million. Better yet, these levies should be scrapped altogether
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IT blunders continue to cost taxpayers dear
The public sector and IT projects are rarely a good combination. So it comes as little surprise that according to The Times, the costs of a new national police computer system have soared by an eye-watering 68 per cent!
But it gets worse as police forces on "a 47-year-old system". The bill for the new computer is estimated at £1.1 billion but there are no guarantees that will be the final total.
Yet again it's taxpayers who are left with bills in the billions thanks to public sector IT blunders. We are telling ministers to learn their lessons and ensure that future projects are much better managed!
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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