At the time of writing most of the major parties have published their manifestos ahead of the general election on December 12th. The TPA team has been poring over the details and I can report there is a mixture of good and bad news for taxpayers. The good: Both the Brexit and Green parties have announced that they would scrap HS2. Indeed the Brexit party has cited the TPA's Great British Transport Competition for their plans to invest in transport infrastructure. Furthermore the party has called for the immoral inheritance tax and the outdated BBC licence fee to be scrapped. There were some encouraging signs for businesses as Labour called for a review into business rates and has suggested a land value tax as a viable alternative, as have the Liberal Democrats. It’s good to see that both parties recognise the seriousness of the situation that affects high streets up and down the country. The Conservatives have tentatively pledged to increase the national insurance threshold to £9,500 - meaning a tax cut of around £400 for every worker.
The bad: Unfortunately the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems all remain committed to pushing ahead with HS2 despite the ever-rising costs and minimal public support. There has also been disappointing news on their stances to corporation tax. Boris Johnson recently announced that the planned reduction to 17 per cent has been postponed. The Lib Dems, Labour and Greens have all outlined plans to increase corporation tax. This despite clear evidence that shows revenues have increased as the rate has fallen. Let us not forget that our recent polling revealed the public's desire for lower taxes on business. The Brexit party are pushing for an online sales tax to help high streets but all it would do is raise consumer costs and limit choice for those who struggle with the cost of living. Labour's grand plans for mass nationalisations will come at a staggering cost to taxpayers both now and in the future with large-scale borrowing that will have to be paid off. Whichever party wins the election I hope they will heed the calls of the TPA for lower, simpler taxes and eradicating wasteful spending. Let me know your thoughts on the parties' manifestos
Burdens on business tour The final leg of our tour saw us making the long journey westwards to Exeter to attend the biggest business exhibition in the south west. With nearly 4,000 people in attendance the TPA's stand was a hive of activity.
It was great to meet so many people who were familiar with our work and were eager to lend their support to future campaigns. In 2020 our aim is to attend an exhibition in every region of the county so please email me if you know of any we should attend.
Broadband nationalisation Our research director Duncan Simpson was a guest on Ian Collins' LBC show to discuss Labour's plans to nationalise BT and provide free broadband to the nation. Duncan pointed out that the idea that bureaucrats in London can deliver broadband for everyone is "pie in the sky". Furthermore there are numerous problems with parliament determining a rate of compensation for investors and the share price could well collapse. Click here to listen to a clip.
Let me know your thoughts on nationalisation of broadband. Money to burn The Daily Telegraph reported that one million 50 pence pieces to commemorate leaving the European Union are to be melted down because they have been made with the wrong date on them. According to reporter Sam Barker, "Chancellor Sajid Javid had asked the Royal Mint to make Brexit celebration coins stamped with the date of October 31 2019". Our chief executive John O'Connell said the Government had "jumped the gun" and "holding back on any plans to mint the new money would have been a more careful approach to avoid wasting taxpayers' cash".
Do you agree with John? Let me know your thoughts.
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Why a tip tax is a load of rubbish
Writing for the TPA blog this week I argue that "the tip tax seems to be another stealthy way that councils are wringing more money out of already over taxed locals in an effort to balance the books". Worse still the number of fly-tipping incidents exceeded one million in 2018-19 and two-thirds of cases involved household rubbish. If councils insist on implementing tip taxes, they may well be worse off in the long run as increases in incidents of fly-tipping will only drain more resources and funds. Councils should clean up their act by improving efficiency and eradicating wasteful spending to ensure that local tips are free to use for the residents they are supposed to serve. Let me know your thoughts on councils charging to use tips
Wood you believe it! In yet another example of local government incompetence, Reading Borough Council has mistakenly cut down 800 saplings donated by the Woodland Trust. The trees were planted by local volunteers in 2016. The council has failed to explain how it was possible that trees in a protected area for the past three years were destroyed during a "routine clearance of undergrowth".
Not only has the council destroyed the work of hundreds of charitable volunteers, they are also charging the taxpayer for their ineptitude by planting a selection of larger trees in the same park. It is such a shame that the hard work of local volunteers has been rapidly undone by a bureaucratic council. Whoever is responsible for this mess should get the chop! Email
me if you know of examples of wasteful spending in your
area.
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In recent years a number of councils
have started charging residents to dispose of certain items at their
local tips despite ever-rising council tax bills. 
