Taxpayers’ Alliance report

The Taxpayers’ Alliance describes itself as a grassroots organisation, which we somehow doubt. It is pushing the sort of views which we would expect from an outfit funded by a millionaire. We are looking at its recent 2020 Tax Commission report and will be producing a critique shortly. It builds its argument on a body of feeling that is widespread. Our first inclination is to agree with quite a lot it has to say. But it starts at the wrong place and ignores important economic fundamentals, it is ultimately worse than useless. This is not a subject that can be discussed from the TPA’s perspective without first establishing what are the proper functions of government. That is, incidentally, a matter which we ourselves have deliberately refrained from addressing. The Campaign will not, and does not need to, come down on one side or the other in this debate because LVT is necessary both for a cradle-to-grave welfare state and for the minimalist state favoured by libertarians.