On Tuesday morning, in an exclusive with Britain's biggest newspaper, The Sun, we laid out that cutting VAT and income tax, as well as raising the national insurance threshold (and scrapping the rise) would increase the nation's GDP by an incredible £56 billion by 2029.
Using our in-house dynamic tax model we analysed the government’s best options to boost growth over the next 10 years. It follows in the wake of the Office for National Statistics' latest data showing that GDP fell 0.3 per cent in April. With a recession looming we urged the government to act.
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In a full-page featured comment piece for The Sun, our chief executive John O'Connell explained how Boris can boost the economy and put money back into people's pockets:
"Prime Minister, you can’t tax your way to higher growth, and you can’t spend your way out of an inflation crisis. But you can boost the economy by cutting taxes, letting people spend their cash where they see fit."
For example, reversing the health and social care levy and raising the NI threshold alone could deliver £14 billion of growth over the next ten years.
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The PM must not dither and delay. If things are as bad as the economic indicators say, now is the time for Boris to be bold. Now is the time to help growth go gangbusters by bringing forward the income tax cut and doubling it.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Economic growth is key!
It wasn't just newspaper columns that we used to get our message out. TPA staff were in demand for broadcast media appearances too. Our policy analyst Darwin Friend joined GB News' Tom Harwood in studio to drive home why we need tax cuts.
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Darwin dismissed suggestions that tax cuts would further worsen inflation, citing that the government is spending too much money. Pointing out that rather than asking taxpayers to cut back the government must be going for pro-growth policies to help taxpayers in the short and long term. Click here to watch a clip from the interview.
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Wasteful Whitehall networks
An investigation by the TaxPayers' Alliance has revealed at least £309,090 of taxpayers' cash has been used to fund civil service groups such as a board game club, a film club and even a mediation club!
As reported in the Daily Telegraph, multiple government departments have numerous clubs. For example, "The Home Office has 20 Civil Service networks, although it could not provide information on expenditure. These networks include the Gender Support Network and the EU Nationals Network."
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Giving his thoughts to the Telegraph, John O’Connell gave mandarins both barrels, “Many of the networks are an appalling use of Civil Service time and taxpayers’ money. While Brits wait patiently to receive their driving licences and passports, bureaucrats are busy with right-on lectures and social events. Ministers need to scale back these wasteful Whitehall networks.”
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Tax burden must be tackled
On Friday our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre was up bright and early to join TalkTV's Mike Graham for a review of the day's newspapers. They covered a wide range of topics but unsurprisingly it wasn't long before they discussed the impact of taxes on day-to-day life.
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Speaking to viewers across the nation Joe was adamant that "Real, hardworking people are struggling at the moment under the tax burden!" Adding that the government needs to have "a clear agenda for balancing the books."
The TPA continues to bang the drum for lower taxes and we will not let up! Click here to watch a clip.
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Northumberland taxpayers deserve answers
There are serious problems at Northumberland County Council (NCC) after their finance officer ruled that unlawful payments - relating to a healthcare consultancy company set by NCC - had been made to chief executive Daljit Lally. As I write for ConservativeHome in my regular column there has been a shocking lack of an audit trail.
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I was fortunate to interview Northumberland councillor and audit committee member Nick Oliver who helped shed some much-needed light on the subject. He's calling for any unlawful payments to be repaid and those responsible must be held to account.
Rest assured the TaxPayers' Alliance is keeping a close eye on the situation and will keep the pressure on. Click here to read more.
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The Khan review: making choice obsolete
Last week the government published Dr Javed Khan’s independent review, ‘making smoking obsolete’ as part of its smokefree 2030 policy.
As our researcher Tom Ryan writes, the 15 recommendations of the paper are part of a long tradition of going after British smokers and seek to push us further towards a complete prohibition on smoking. If implemented, these policies are likely to put pressure on the pockets of the poorest in the UK.
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If made into law, it’ll be illegal to smoke in the beer garden of a pub, and films that feature cigarette use will be censored for the health and safety of the audience. This is one step away from a complete ban on all smoking. Is prohibition the path we really want to take? Click here to read more.
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Coventry council's Russian jollies
You may be surprised to learn that Coventry is twinned with Volgograd. As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Coventry council announced a pause in twinning links. With this in mind, the TPA sent a freedom of information request asking how much the council spent over the last five years on this relationship.
In total, more than £12,000 was splurged on four separate events. Giving his comments to The Spectator which covered the story, our investigations campaign manager Elliot Keck said, "Taxpayers expect councils to fund frontline services, not expensive jollies to foreign countries." Hear! Hear!
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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