A whirlwind week in Westminster

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The lady is for turning
It’s been another whirlwind week in Westminster. On Friday, the prime minister not only dismissed her chancellor, but also rowed back on the centrepiece of her low tax, growth policy.
The pledge to scrap the hike in corporation tax was previously a key plank in the government’s growth agenda. As soon as the u-turn began materialising, our team was straight out the block responding as the situation developed ([link removed]) .

In remarks picked up by publications including The Telegraph and Politico, TPA chief executive, John O’Connell, blasted the about face: “With a Tory tax rise back on the cards and their fiscal plans in chaos, this government’s u-turns risk extending the misery of a high-tax, high-spend, low growth economy for years to come.”
John was quick to point out that an apparent lack of a plan over spending was to blame, explaining: “We have to live within our means, so sensible spending restraint supporting a balanced plan for easing the tax burden is the only path to prosperity.”

With a new resident in Number 11 Downing Street, we’ll be sure to continue calling out the short-sighted spending-obsessed approach that got us in a mess in the first place.

The TPA will never give up fighting for taxpayers. But we can’t do it without your support. Click here to back our campaign! ([link removed])
Abolishing business rates would boost growth
Our latest piece of hard hitting research ([link removed]) has exposed just how much business rates are holding Britain back. Using our dynamic tax model ([link removed]) , the TPA team has shown that GDP could be a massive £34.5 billion higher if business rates were scrapped!
As well as boosting growth, by scrapping this hated tax which hammers high streets, investment could be £8.6 billion greater and meaning a rejuvenation for Britain’s shops large and small.
John pulled no punches ([link removed]) slamming the pernicious levy: “business rates are one of the most damaging taxes for small firms, especially those on our high streets.”

The current business rates regime has been in place since the 1980s and has gone largely unreformed since then. It’s high time this crippling burden on business was reduced, if not removed altogether.

You can read our findings in full here. ([link removed])
TPA Talks with Alex Phillips
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A new edition of TPA Talks is out this week and this time our chief economist Duncan Simpson, sits down with journalist, presenter, and former Brexit Party MEP Alex Philips.

Alex offers her thoughts on her time in the European parliament, Brexit, the future of broadcast media, the licence fee and much more! Click here to watch ([link removed]) .
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
Furlough fraud
The TPA were shocked to learn that £4.5 billion was lost to error and fraud through the furlough and self-employed income support schemes, according to a recent National Audit Office report.
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Duncan was quick to call-out this shocking squandering of taxpayer cash ([link removed]) and declare that “a lot more accountability needs to be happening.”
NHS spin spending exposed
There was a corker in The Telegraph this week after a TPA investigation found the NHS is spending millions on communications ([link removed]) with 1,000 comms staff on the payroll.
Our investigations manager Elliot Keck, spent weeks sending information requests to NHS trusts to see how much they were spending on their media budgets.

Elliot went on LBC to explain the findings, telling the breakfast show this morning: "Taxpayers want actual doctors not spin doctors".
Flight of fancy
When the Scottish Daily Express ([link removed]) reported that the SNP’s Ivan McKee was enjoying luxurious business class flights to Dubai at taxpayer expense, John wasted no time in slapping-down this superfluous spending, declaring: “Jet-setting ministers must be from another planet”!
Blog of the week
A taxpayer friendly language guide for the BBC
With fiscal matters dominating the news agenda in recent weeks, we were keen to give the BBC a helping hand ([link removed]) with its reporting.
That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide ([link removed]) to help them in their impartiality push. The Beeb should take care not to only use the language of tax-and-spend, decrying ‘austerity’ and ‘trickle-down economics’. Representing terms and facts more accurately would be a tremendous boon to the British taxpayer.
War on Waste
Sunset on solar farm
There seems to be no end of councils splashing the cash on erroneous energy schemes. This week, we found out that Torfaen council had dumped plans to build a solar farm ([link removed]) . Whilst the scheme would have cost £2.2 million (and it’s good to see them not throwing good money after bad), town hall chiefs have already splurged the substantial sum of £259,956 with nothing to show for it.

Local authorities must get a grip and not be led astray by these pie-in-the-sky projects!

Let me know (mailto:[email protected]?subject=re.%20Weekly%20bulletin) if your council is up to anything similar.

Benjamin Elks
Fundraising, Operations, and Events assistant

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