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… Continue reading Cutting tax is not a zero sum game

What Clegg should ask in PMQs tomorrow

Unusually for me, for the past couple of weeks I’ve been watching PMQs. It hasn’t been a happy experience for me. On both occasions Clegg has been felled by Brown, who on both occasions has simply swatted him away by smearing about £20bn cuts in public services. And I can’t help but feel that the… Continue reading What Clegg should ask in PMQs tomorrow

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… Continue reading What do the Scottish Greens and Guido have in common?