Tony Blair once offered a pledge card to secure votes. I happen to think they’re a good idea. Here’s are the commitments I want from Labour: 1. Job creation through a Green new Deal to increase tax paid and reduce welfare benefits to clear the deficit 2. Tackle the tax gap to close the deficit and restore pensions
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I wrote this last September. As Ed Miliband goes into this year’s Labour Party conference saying he’ll tackle the banks head on it seems as relevant, so I offer it again: “Ed Miliband has announced himself in favour of good business. I am delighted he has. So am I. It’s astonishing that some are saying that by
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As the FT reports: Resignations by senior managers at HM Revenue & Customs rose sharply in the past tax year, as performance lapses at the organisation drew sharp criticism. Forty-two HMRC staff at senior management level – earning more than £47,000 a year – resigned in the 2011-12 tax year, according to figures obtained by
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HMRC is very proud to announce initiatives these days – very small targeted programmes trying to tackle tax evasion in limited sectors in limited areas. The latest was announced here. The sectors targeted, places where theuy’re to be targeted and expected yields are: Legal profession in London – expected yield £3m Grocery and retail in South and North Wales, the North West of England
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It’s often presumed that the target of austerity is government deficits. I’m not at all sure I agree. As the FT notes this morning: The Spanish government has announced its fifth round of budget cuts and tax increases in just nine months, as part of a reform package that could pave the way for an EU bailout and sovereign debt purchases
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David Walker, Guardian journalist and co-author with Polly Toynbee of Dogma and Disarray: Cameron at Half-Time has written an article for the Guardian entitled “In defence of Dave Hartnett: A single civil servant cannot be held accountable for the failings of an entire governance system.” His argument revolves around a single paragraph: What Hartnett did, or did not
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The openDemocracy website has published a report into the BBC’s coverage of the highly controversial Health and Social Care Act this morning. This 8,000 word report uses rigorous research methods and detailed analysis to confirm what many have claimed: that the BBC has failed in its responsibilities to inform the British public about one of the
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Jon Cruddas, MP and head of Labour’s policy review, had a good article in the Guardian yesterday. His point is a simple one: as he puts it – The task at hand is to rebuild this country. But then he notes that all the signs are the Tories aren’t going to do any such thing.
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Transfer Pricing Weekly (I kid you not, there is such a magazine) has good news on country-by-country reporting this week. As they note: Four tax authorities spoke of the benefits of country-by-country reporting (CBCR) and greater transparency at International Tax Review’s Global Transfer Pricing Forum in Paris this week, though they said it would not be
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