IFS research published today examines the recent trends in pensioner poverty and pensioner living standards, analysing how large increases in the minimum income guarantee have affected pensioner poverty, and sets the changes in their historical context.

The IFS Green Budget 2003 looked at the Chancellor's options for the Budget, covering the public finances, distributional effects of changes, company taxation, child poverty and childcare.

The government has pledged to eradicate child poverty within a generation. As an intermediate target, it has also set itself the goal of reducing the number of children in poverty by at least a quarter by 2004. We look at the possible costs in benefits that the Chancellor might face if he is to achieve the target.

Since 1975 governments in the UK have increased the amount they pay parents to bring upa child by almost 150 per cent, after adjusting for inflation, according to a report by IFS researchers published today. More than half this increase reflects tax and benefit changes since 1999.

The IFS's Tax Law Review Committee calls for 'joined-up' review of law on employment status in response to a review by the DTI.

Five articles published in Fiscal studies cover the following topics: The Economic Costs and Benefits of UK Defence Exports; Targeting Fuel Poverty in England: Is the Government Getting Warm?; Trends in British Public Investment; The Croatian Profit Tax: An ACE in Practice; Simplifying the Personal Income Tax System: Lessons from the 1998 Spanish Reform.

New IFS research examines individuals choice between saving in a pension, saving in other vehicles and not saving at all. The research finds that: In the long-run pension tax relief is more generous than that available on Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) for most feasible cases; For many individuals the tax system provides an incentive to save in an ISA before drip-feeding their funds into a private pension in the run-up to retirement; Individuals who prefer to have access to their funds will find saving in an ISA relatively more attractive especially when dividends are high.

In research published today, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the IFS has looked at how inflation rates vary across the household population. The work finds that inflation rates do vary widely across different households. The headline rate of inflation is not necessarily a good guide to the actual rates of inflation experienced by individual households.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has announced that Robert Chote is to be its new Director. He will take over in the Autumn following the departure of Andrew Dilnot.

A new report from the IFS examines whether there is a case for abolishing stamp duty on share transactions.