Despite households and families across the country facing a cost of living crisis, the government is still pushing ahead with a hike in national insurance. But the TaxPayers' Alliance is fighting back!
Just like we've done with wasteful public sector spending, we are leading the charge for change. The events of this week have made it clearer than even that taxes are too high.
Our unique research showed that a typical household will now pay over £1 million in tax in their lifetime. That's enough money to buy a detached house in England, a new Audi A4, a holiday at 4-star hotel in the Costa Del Sol and so much more!
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If you haven't done so already then use our calculator to estimate how much tax you'll pay in your life.
Further rubbing salt in the wounds are looming increases to energy and council tax bills. The chancellor has tried to address this by handing out money to households. However, all this amounts to is nothing more than giving with one hand to take with the other.
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In print, online and on the airwaves, our research is reaching millions.
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That's why the TPA is doing everything possible to make taxpayers' voices heard. Our team has been on broadcast media, morning, noon and night to make it clear that the cost of living crisis won't go away until the burden of taxation is eased.
The Conservatives claim to be the party of low taxes but this doesn't hold water. Citing TPA research on the 70-year tax burden, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer castigated Boris Johnson at PMQs for "raising taxes on working people".
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We've used a series of infographics to show just how bad the tax burden has become. For example, it is those in the bottom decile that have it toughest. It will take them almost 24 years just to pay their lifetime tax bill.
With the fiscal headroom revealed in the latest public sector finance statistics, it would be far better to Save to Spend than continue whacking up taxes on working taxpayers.
The tide is turning. Our low tax message is getting through, not just to millions of Brits but those in the corridors of power. The TaxPayers' Alliance will keep banging the drum for hard-pressed taxpayers. The government must take action!
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Get rid of green levies to reduce energy bills
There was a big shock to millions of households on Thursday as a rise in the energy price cap means the average home will see their bills soar by an eye-watering £693. The chancellor announced a rebate of up to £350 but it will do little to fix things in the long run.
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As our chief executive John O'Connell, explained in his comments to the Daily Express, "The chancellor’s bailouts for energy firms do little to reverse the root of the energy crisis, while the council tax rebate is only papering over the cracks of the government’s own policies."
If ministers really want to help households with the cost of living, they should power ahead with suspending green levies and the planned national insurance hike.
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The government's levelling up ambitions don't cut the mustard
Ministers have repeatedly talked about levelling up the country and this week saw the government publish its long-awaited white paper on the subject. It's fair to say the plans received a lukewarm response in many quarters. Once again it highlighted that the government is forgetting about the needs of taxpayers.
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As the TPA made clear to The Daily Telegraph, “With the record tax burden squeezing hard-working Brits, the best way to level up is by allowing families and firms to keep more of their own money and giving them more say over how their taxes are spent."
You cannot tax a nation into prosperity. Millions of households are now living paycheck to paycheck. Cutting taxes and easing the burdens on business are the surest ways to create jobs and boost local economies.
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Ministers must get a grip on waste
As we've argued time after time, the government wouldn't need to raise taxes if it didn't waste money in the first place. And nowhere is this more evident in the ridiculous amounts of taxpayers' cash frittered away on faulty PPE during the pandemic. To date the government has written off £8.7 billion because protective equipment wasn't up to scratch.
Speaking about the waste on GBNews, our research director Duncan Simpson didn't hold back, branding the findings as "shocking" and called on the departments responsible to ensure this never happens again.
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Further taking the government to task, our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall made her views clear in an opinion piece for the Express. She told readers, "It’s clear from these figures the supply of PPE was not led by usual processes that protect value for money, which resulted in taxpayer-funded contracts being awarded to unsuitable companies."
Adding, "While hard-working taxpayers played by the rules, fraudsters fiddled the system. Those who wrongly pocketed taxpayers’ cash must be properly punished. An inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis can’t come soon enough." Click here to read Danielle's comments in full.
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Is the government delivering any benefits of Brexit?
This week, the government released a paper laying out the benefits of Brexit. Almost six long years after the country voted leave, we were finally clued in on what exactly politicians intend to do with it. For taxpayers, the vision left a lot to be desired.
The TPA didn’t endorse either side in the referendum. As our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre explores this week, our focus is on getting the nation living within its means and arguing for lower, simpler taxes, better public services with less waste and accountability for those in power.
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So does this new Brexit vision deliver? Unfortunately, not really. On nearly all of the points listed above have we seen significant improvement. For example, on accountability, the proposals actually take us backwards. The new subsidy control regime sets higher thresholds for publication than were expected in the EU, with potentially 64 per cent of subsidies handed out not having to be reported.
If politicians want to argue that Brexit has been a good thing for the British taxpayer, they’ll need to scrap red tape, tackle green subsidies and get the public finances back in the black. Blue passports alone won’t be enough! Click here to read more.
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Worcester's 'walking guru'
It's not just central government that wastes taxpayers cash, local authorities are notable offenders as well. Worcester council has rightly come under fire after it announced plans to spend around £100,000 on an "Active Travel Officer." This non-job, dubbed by some as a "walking guru" and "woke rubbish" is part of a £9 million project to improve cycle lanes and footpaths across the city.
Weighing in on the matter I urged council bosses to reconsider, telling the Daily Mail, "Taxpayers facing council tax hikes want to know they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership. With the looming cost of living crisis squeezing household budgets, colossal council tax bills are the last thing taxpayers need."
Worcester must start tackling wasteful spending by scrapping pointless pet projects and putting a stop to supersized staff salaries.”
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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