The Chancellor, in his pre-budget report in December, re-emphsized the Government's commitment to close the productivity gap that exists between Britian and its competitor economies.
When politicians claim they can finance tax cuts or provide extra resources for public services by cracking down on waste and bureaucracy, voters should start counting the spoons.
Michael Howard's appointment last week of company dactor David James to seek out Whitehall waste was the opening shot in what promises to be a ferocious political battle over tax and spending this year.
Discussions about how many people should pay higher rate tax are treacherous waters into which politicians wade at their peril, as Peter Hain, leader of the House of Commons, discovered in June.
Like the discovery that British railways are as vulnerable to the sun as to wet leaves or the wrong sort of snow, reports that Gordon Brown has warned Cabinet ministers to expect tough public spending negotiations should haradly come as a surprise.
In the coming year, Chancellor Gordon Brown faces two big questions, the answers to which will shape the government's tax and spending strategy for the next general election.
The reforms to taxes and benefits announced in Gordon Brown's seventh Budget will have only a modest effect on the distribution of disposable income in Britain.
In his Pre-Budget Report (PBR) last November, Gordon Brown conceded that the impact of the weak economy on tax revenues would force him to borrow more than he had expected this year and next.
Commentary: all content
Showing 1061 – 1080 of 1161 results
Rolling back the state?
On Monday, the Conservatives announced their medium-term expenditure strategy.
20 February 2004
Turning the Tide
The Chancellor, in his pre-budget report in December, re-emphsized the Government's commitment to close the productivity gap that exists between Britian and its competitor economies.
12 February 2004
All that effort goes to waste
When politicians claim they can finance tax cuts or provide extra resources for public services by cracking down on waste and bureaucracy, voters should start counting the spoons.
8 February 2004
Brown treads a tax tightrope
Michael Howard's appointment last week of company dactor David James to seek out Whitehall waste was the opening shot in what promises to be a ferocious political battle over tax and spending this year.
11 January 2004
Gordon,actually: an epic in three parts coming soon to a screen near you
From the Matrix to the Lord of the Rings, vast trilogies are in fashion at the cinema these days.
7 December 2003
Fiscal rules at breaking point
On Wednesday, Gordon Brown will outline the Pre-Budget report.
5 December 2003
Stability is needed apart from simplicity
The UK pension system has undergone continual reform during the past 25 years.
10 November 2003
Grey-sky thinking ahead
This article was published in The Public Finance Magazine on 24th October 2003.
24 October 2003
You might be richer than you think
Discussions about how many people should pay higher rate tax are treacherous waters into which politicians wade at their peril, as Peter Hain, leader of the House of Commons, discovered in June.
29 September 2003
Four questions Brown must answer
Like the discovery that British railways are as vulnerable to the sun as to wet leaves or the wrong sort of snow, reports that Gordon Brown has warned Cabinet ministers to expect tough public spending negotiations should haradly come as a surprise.
10 August 2003
When great minds should not think alike
Societies have long experimented with ways to get sensible decisions out of diverse groups of policymakers.
29 July 2003
More bang for the taxpayers' buck?
The Government's Private Finance Initiative attracts enthusiasm and scepticism in equal measure.
14 July 2003
Wringing the changes
In the coming year, Chancellor Gordon Brown faces two big questions, the answers to which will shape the government's tax and spending strategy for the next general election.
6 June 2003
To spend wisely?
This article was published in Government Opportunities on 1st June 2003.
1 June 2003
Brown hopes for the best
Last week's Budget did not contain much in the way of large new announcements.
18 April 2003
Brown's defiant optimism may pen him in on future Budgets
The reforms to taxes and benefits announced in Gordon Brown's seventh Budget will have only a modest effect on the distribution of disposable income in Britain.
10 April 2003
Where has all the investment gone?
Public sector investment was weaker during Labour's first term than in any other five-year period since the Second World War.
7 March 2003
COMMENT & ANALYSIS: Brown cannot escape increasing taxes
This article was published in the Financial Times on 5th March 2003.
5 March 2003
Untying the Gordian knot
In his Pre-Budget Report (PBR) last November, Gordon Brown conceded that the impact of the weak economy on tax revenues would force him to borrow more than he had expected this year and next.
31 January 2003
All is not equal
1 January 2003