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Tag: george osborne

  • Cutting tax is not a zero sum game

    I’m cautiously optimistic about the rumoured plan of a 2.5% drop in VAT. It sounds like a good move to me, for several reasons. One thing a VAT cut won’t do is lead automatically to a reduction in prices. Most food isn’t VAT-rated and it is hard to believe that a CD priced £9.99 this…

  • What do the Scottish Greens and Guido have in common?

    Both today are calling for Land Value Taxation, or at least they seem to be. The Scottish Greens certainly are. Municipal tax reform in Scotland remains in deadlock and dependent on at least one other party agreeing with the principle of local income tax. That seems unlikely at the moment, even if the Lib Dems…

  • C4 News Poll: Cable for Chancellor! (UPDATE)

    I was on MoreFourNews this evening, talking about Channel Four News’ YouGov poll of marginal constituencies: (it’s all televisual LIES by the way – the whole thing was done in green screen in ITN’s underground Danger Room. I half expected Gollum to virtually take part as the fourth guest.) Because the poll is mainly focused…

  • For the record, the Liberal Democrats did not solicit nor accept a donation from Michael Brown

    I feel the need to point this out because George Osborne is being very precise here. So no, the Lib Dems did not receive a penny from Michael Brown (it all came from 5th Avenue Partners Ltd). Nor did they make the first move. So that’s all right then, we must be in the clear.…

  • Is George Osborne Cameron’s Mandy?

    How much longer can George Osborne hold on as Shadow Chancellor? Now is not the time for a flyweight to be in charge of the Tory’s economic policy, not least one who thinks that the best way to stop a “house burning down” is to “fix the roof.” Today’s revelation by Nathaniel Rothschild that Osborne…