To me, it is clear that the UK could benefit from greater decentralisation. But, to repeat, that does not mean that new arrangements must be introduced now.
Rather than price caps and nationalisations, there is a chance to help consumers with tax cuts and regulatory reform.
Those making the economic case already faced an uphill struggle – now their argument is “contaminated by association”.
Former ConservativeHome co-editor Jonathan Isaby is taking over as the Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance
Matthew Sinclair is Director of The TaxPayers' Alliance. Follow Matthew on Twitter. When I was reading Stephan Shakespeare’s fascinating recent article about people’s perceptions of “left” and “right”, some advice he once gave me about polling started to ring in my ears. If you’re trying to work out how people can be persuaded, make sure you […]
Matthew Sinclair is Director of The TaxPayers' Alliance. Follow Matthew on Twitter. This is the third of three blogs on today's TPA report recommending a 'Single Income Tax'. See earlier contributions from Matt Sinclair on a Family Transferable Allowance and Matthew Elliott on the general principle. This week has seen the launch of the 2020 Tax […]
Matthew Sinclair is Director of The TaxPayers' Alliance. This is the second in a series of articles based on the TPA's 2020 Tax Commission proposals. Matthew Elliott contributed the first part eartlier today. Follow Matt Sinclair on Twitter. There are currently two quite thorny policy challenges facing the Government. First, they have means tested Child Benefit in […]
By Matthew Sinclair Over the weekend, the major UNFCCC COP17 in Durban concluded. Climate economist Richard Tol has set out the poor progress at the conference compared to Bali all the way back in 2007. He writes that the Durban Platform "pledges an agreement by 2015. It replaces the Bali Roadmap, which pledged an agreement […]
Andrew Lilico argues that the decision to uprate pensions in line with CPI instead of RPI constitutes seizing the property of public sector workers who have accrued pension rights, akin to deciding to "take away their houses or their cars". There was a major case at the High Court which addressed exactly that issue – […]
By Matthew Sinclair I worry that Mohammed Amin has fallen into a common trap with his article about how Israel treats minorities. The country quite rightly contrasts itself as a liberal Western democracy against the ugly theocracies that threaten it, and we respond by applying an entirely unrealistic standard when judging whether it fits that description. […]
Earlier this week, over five hundred workers at the Lynemouth aluminium smelter found out that they were losing their jobs. Their employer, Rio Tinto Alcan, said that "the smelter is no longer a sustainable business because its energy costs are increasing significantly, due largely to emerging legislation". If the Government is serious about sustained economic […]
Politicians have often called Fuel Duty a green tax when they are trying to sell hikes but, when pressed, the Treasury tends to admit it is just another way of raising revenue. The motoring taxes certainly raise a lot of money. £31.5 billion in 2009 and rising. Outside the dense public transport networks, enabling a […]
By Matthew Sinclair of The TaxPayers' Alliance. The process of really opening up the public sector started under Labour with the Freedom of Information Act. The MPs' expenses scandal ended for our generation the argument that we could just trust the checks on spending within the public sector. Since the election, the pace at which […]
By Matthew Sinclair Jill Kirby makes a powerful point this morning when she says that as "today's report from the Care Quality Commission shows, romanticising the NHS as a national treasure is ludicrously out of touch with the reality of the health service most of us now experience." Lots of people have experienced wonderful treatment […]
The results could be remarkable: savings for taxpayers; opportunities for the unemployed; and a benefits system that people can trust again.