In the middle of a cost of living crisis, the last thing Brits need is bigger bills.
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Help us stop the home delivery duty
The government is considering a tax on purchases made online. In the middle of a cost of living crisis, the last thing Brits need is bigger bills.
The Treasury has launched a consultation and the TaxPayers' Alliance is leading the charge to speak up for households in hard times. Help us stop an online shopping tax! ([link removed])
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If we are going to win this battle, it’s critical that the government gets as many clear responses as possible. The consultation asks very specific questions and, in order to be counted, responses must be specific as well.
That’s why our simple tool ([link removed]) makes it easy for you to submit a response.
Click here to make your voice heard! ([link removed])
TPA Talks: Lessons from Ukraine
With war breaking out in Europe once again, how should British defence policy adapt to meet current geopolitical challenges?I sat down with writer and broadcaster Charlie Peters ([link removed]) to discuss MoD waste, personnel cuts, the efficacy of NATO, the need to prepare for future conflicts and more.
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His comments on how defence spending falls for the sunk-cost fallacy "more than any other area of government" are particularly insightful. You can't afford to miss this instalment!
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel ([link removed]) so you never miss an episode of TPA Talks. If you prefer audio-only, TPA Talks is available as a podcast on several outlets:
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Taxpayers want modern and competent policing
New research by the TPA explores how automated police forces in England and Wales are ([link removed]) and how this is impacting the delivery of policing. New technologies can enhance the officers' ability to catch criminals and solve crimes.
But as our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall wrote for CapX ([link removed]) , when it comes to British law enforcement adapting to the digital age, it’s less a case of Big Brother, more confused dad.
Taxpayers want to see modern and competent policing, up on the latest technologies and using them to offer better value for money.
Instead of fussing about new online regulations, ministers would be better off making sure police forces are embracing digital modernisation. Forces should focus on adopting and understanding new technologies first – and becoming more efficient for taxpayers in the process. Click here to read our findings and recommendations in full ([link removed]) .
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
£112 million in foreign aid handed to "flip-flopping" India and Pakistan
As Boris Johnson jetted to India, the TaxPayers' Alliance revealed the staggering sums of foreign aid cash Britain gifted to India and Pakistan last year. In an exclusive with the ([link removed]) Daily Express, ([link removed]) we discovered taxpayers "spent more than £112 million last year on overseas aid projects in India and Pakistan – including almost £12 million to promote contraception. Another £619,867 helped expand renewable energy in India"
Commenting on the findings, our chief executive John O'Connell called for an urgent change in government policy, “Taxpayers will be rightly asking who in government decided to prioritise condoms for Pakistan and renewable energy for India over tax cuts for working people and investment in public services. This will only be more insulting given India and Pakistan’s flip-flopping over the issue of support for Ukraine – a key diplomatic priority for the UK government.”
As long as India and Pakistan fail to support the UK on the international stage, they shouldn’t see a penny more of taxpayers’ cash.
Are the Conservatives now the part of high taxes?
Ahead of the May elections shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has drawn on TPA research ([link removed]) to criticise the government for the 70-year high tax burden. The Conservative party is often regarded as low tax but are attitudes changing?
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Speaking to viewers on GBNews I explained that polling we conducted last year showed many voters believe the Labour party would be better at keeping taxes low.
I also pointed out that whilst covid has hindered economic growth, tax hikes on working people and businesses have only made the situation worse. Click here to watch a clip from the interview. ([link removed])
Whitehall offices empty as civil servants work from home
Despite the pandemic effectively coming to an end, many civil servants are still working from home. As a result, prime Whitehall office space remains underutilised. Astonighly calls for mandarins to return their desks have been met with anger. ([link removed])
To add his expert insight to the debate our investigations manager Elliot Keck spoke to talkRADIO's Kevin O'Sullivan.
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He rightly pointed out that "civil servants can't continue to have it both ways!" How is it fair to taxpayers that officials are claiming a London salary, yet expensive central London office space lays almost empty as they enjoy the perks of working from home.
That's why something has to change. If civil servants won't go back to the office then either they should find employment elsewhere or the office blocks should be sold off. Click here to listen to the interview. ([link removed])
Blog of the week
Silly salaries in Sutton
Following on from the latest release of Town Hall Rich List, our operations director Sara Rainwater has beendigging deeper into the finances of her local council. ([link removed]) She's discovered that Sutton ranks 7th out of 33 London boroughs for the most expensive council tax bills.
And how are her hard-earned taxes spent? Seemingly on bumper pay and allowances. The total cost of councillor allowances for Sutton in 2019-20 was over £900,000. Neighbouring Merton (which ranks 16th out of 33 for council tax) only billed the taxpayer for £697,000 of allowances.
As Sara writes, "A well-run council may be difficult to define exactly, but you know one when you see one." Adding, "Badly-run councils on the other hand will be incompetent, continuously pushing taxes up to the maximum while paying their own eye-watering sums of money." Click here to read the full story from Sutton. ([link removed])
War on Waste
Anti-deportation lawyers funded by taxpayers
The Mail on Sunday reports that government data shows the Home Office "signed off £17,647 in grants to a radical campaign group that last week staged a protest outside the department about its own policy". Migrants Organise received the funding in 2020-21 but also received £11,502 in the previous two years.
The TaxPayers' Alliance has highlighted the ridiculous sums wasted on taxpayer-funded lobbying and why it must stop. ([link removed]) As we explained in our comments to the Mail, "This funding creates a merry-go-round in migration policy, with taxpayer-funded activists constantly fighting the actions of an elected government".
Taxpayers' cash should not be propping up controversial campaigners. We're telling ministers to stop paying out to campaigners pushing for policy changes.
Please send me your examples of public sector waste. (mailto:
[email protected]?subject=War%20on%20Waste)
Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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