The current tax system - Land Value Tax Campaign

Is the Chancellor hitting the poor with the VAT rise?

Written on 24 June 2010. Posted in VAT and National Insurance.

Much of the uproar over the VAT increase has focussed on whether it is regressive and bad for the poor. This is very much missing the point about VAT. It is very bad for business, especially smallish ones. Either they cannot claim back the VAT paid on inputs (if they are unregistered) or they are saddled with the administrative costs, which are considerable. And they have to build the VAT into...

Jobs Tax – what next?

Written on 4 April 2010. Posted in VAT and National Insurance.

We wre pleased to see that National Insurance has came to the fore as an election issue, and re-publish here the arithmetic of the jobs tax. The Campaign has no party political allegiance but in this instance we agree with the Conservatives who came out against the forthcoming National Insurance increase. However, since it is possible that the Conservatives, if they form a government, will end up...

Tax system locks people into poverty

Written on 13 November 2009. Posted in Deadweight costs.

The tax system locks people out of work and into poverty. How does it do this? There is no need to go into too many details. Just work out these figures and you will see the size of the barrier against work.

Wi-fi factor raises fears of bumped-up business rates

Written on 29 October 2009. Posted in Business Rates.

The government agency that determines business rates has said that it will take wireless broadband networks into account when conducting assessments. The move, by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), has raised fears among owners of businesses that offer wi-fi access to customers, such as cafés and service stations, that they may have to pay higher rates. The agency said that its valuation officers...

Here we go again

Written on 20 May 2009. Posted in Deadweight costs.

Local Income Tax is an idea that keeps on popping up like a perennial weed. The House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee has just produced a report called “The Balance of Power: Central and Local Government“. In the section on finance, we read… “A further solution would be to either replace or supplement council tax with a different local tax, such as...

All the objections answered in one go

Written on 10 February 2009. Posted in Deadweight costs.

All the FAQs answered at one in this comment by IanCb in the Guardian’s Comment is free.

How to heat up the housing market

Written on 8 August 2008. Posted in Help to Buy.

For some light relief, try this article by Financial Times journalist Chris Giles, who has a novel suggestion about how to kick-start the housing market, which is no more daft than most of the proposals being put forward seriously.

Practical Politics No. 70

Written on 11 February 2008. Posted in Deadweight costs.

Practical Politics No.70 April 1997 ELECTION ’97 We have looked back at Issue No. 26 of March 1992, written for the General Election on 9th April of that year, and we find ft in no need of change. Let it stand therefore as our manifesto this time too.

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