“Making the change revenue neutral should avoid opposition from Treasury and minimise increases for those required to pay more.” (comment in a discussion on implementing LVT) Do were really believe in what we are proposing? Some people need to pay more tax because many others are paying too much at the moment, often to the point that it is not worth employing them at the margin, and...

“If they are making money in UK, then they should pay UK tax.” (comment on a newspaper article) “Should pay” is one thing, “Can actually be made to pay” is another. The rights and wrongs of it are something else again, because whether people ought to pay tax depends, surely, on how the money is “made”? It is immoral and harmful to for the state take...

I reproduce this exchange from the Guardian’s Comment is Free pages, commenting on an article by Peter Wilby on paying for care. I am sure, however, that there is no argument under the sun that could convince the author of the comments (in italics), who seems to have got out of bed on the wrong side this morning and is showing signs of irritation.

Further tax increases or spending cuts are likely to be needed after the current fiscal consolidation to help meet the budgetary costs of an ageing population, according to the first long-term Fiscal sustainability report from the Office of Budget Responsibility. What can this mean for us? The Coalition for Economic Justice, to which the Campaign is affiliated, is at present engaged in an attempt...

An editorial in the Guardian today refers to the failure of major retail chains and the increasing number of empty shops on Britain’s high streets. The retailers referred to were all part of the froth economy and it was inevitable that they would fail when the going got hard. Some, perhaps most, had failed to keep up with changing tastes. However, the fiscal incentive is to keep vacant premises...