In an article in the Times earlier this week I suggested Sajid Javid take a bold approach to tax reform. … Continue reading "Scrapping the tax-free lump sum for pension withdrawal: not such a terrible idea"

As the government creaks alarmingly under the weight of Brexit, it may seem odd – if not downright contrarian – … Continue reading "The housing crisis is pushing Brits towards the spectre of 1970s socialism"

This is the strange tale of how Greenpeace and the Guardian newspaper colluded to attempt to show that the IEA … Continue reading "How Greenpeace and the Guardian Believe the IEA Runs the World"

In the film Groundhog Day, the protagonist is trapped in an infinite time-loop, constantly repeating the same experiences over and … Continue reading "Oxfam would rather make us all poorer than feed the world"

There has been much debate over the past six years about the supposedly deep cuts in government spending—with comparisons ranging … Continue reading "To create growth, taxes and government spending must be radically cut"

This wasn’t a lazy half-hearted reshuffle, Theresa May was imposing her own stamp on government. Rather than going for continuity, … Continue reading "Beware May’s “industrial strategy”: Brexit Britain must be market-orientated"

The technological breakthrough of e-cigarettes has placed the medical establishment and taxpayer-funded public health advocates in a bit of a … Continue reading "Don’t turn e-cigarettes into another tool of the state health nannies"

There are still 23 days to go, and the signs are bleak. Astonishingly, the rest of this election campaign could … Continue reading "On tax and spending, the voters are right: Our politicians are all the same"

We should “choose the future” George Osborne insisted yesterday, in what may yet turn out to be his final Budget. … Continue reading "Small beer Budget: Osborne deserves credit for holding back on the bribery"

If necessity is the mother of invention, politicians of all stripes will have to be spectacularly inventive in dealing with … Continue reading "Truly radical devolution of powers could banish big government in the UK forever"

In this new video for ieaTV, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood explains how liberalising the UK’s suffocating planning laws would … Continue reading "Through the roof"

Though you wouldn’t know it if from watching the BBC, opinion polls suggest that about half of British people want … Continue reading "The winner of the Brexit Prize provides a blueprint for an open, independent Britain"

Ronald Coase, who has died aged 102, won the Nobel prize for economic sciences in 1991 for his work in … Continue reading "Ronald Coase obituary"

British Chancellor George Osborne and United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron received a timely reminder today that their tough-sounding rhetoric … Continue reading "Freeze UK public spending for five years to achieve growth"

A major irritation for anyone attempting to engage in an informed public discussion of economic policy is the media’s desire … Continue reading "Three reasons why Britain’s credit downgrade is no mere technicality"

A year has now passed since the government published the results of its Comprehensive Spending Review. Brazenly, Danny Alexander, Chief … Continue reading "Plan A is not the whole answer"

The Liberal Democrat leadership is in danger of committing a cardinal sin at their party conference in Birmingham. They are … Continue reading "The LibDems should back enterprise, not soak the rich"

How on earth, most people wish to know, did we get to the precipice of full scale economic collapse in … Continue reading "Don’t make banks safe, just make it safe for them to fail"

The Taxpayers’ Alliance has released some interesting research coming out of its 2020 Tax Commission. HMRC is simply failing to … Continue reading "Urgent need to simplify the tax code"

The impact of fiscal stimulus packages is very limited in the short-run and positively damaging in the long-run. That was … Continue reading "Will Keynes Be Buried Once and for All?"

Next week, Conservative MP Sajid Javid will put forward a ‘ten minute rule bill’ to attempt to introduce a legal … Continue reading "Can we cap the debt?"

The strikes and protests witnessed in Britain’s cities this week may well signal the start of a phase of industrial … Continue reading "Public sector largesse in the UK"

The Chancellor is right to stick to his guns on deficit reduction. The dividing line in the debate is between … Continue reading "Osborne doesn’t need Plan B, but he does need Plan A+"

General elections in Finland rarely secure much coverage across mainstream European media, but the results of – and fallout from … Continue reading "True Finns are right to oppose EU bailouts"

Unsurprisingly, the government has been struggling somewhat with how to implement its policy of imposing an immigration cap on non-EU … Continue reading "If there is to be an immigration cap, the Government should sell that limited number of work permits and visas"

This was always going to be a rather modest budget. Having set out the Comprehensive Spending Review last year, the … Continue reading "Osborne made a start on deregulation, but there’s a long way to go"

With all the provisos attached to News Corp’s takeover of BSkyB, opposition to the deal has surely now been diluted. … Continue reading "Plurality or not?"

Going for growth is the key challenge for the Coalition. In fact, pretty much all their eggs are in the … Continue reading "The Coalition must create a culture of entrepreneurship, rather than entitlement"

The furore over relatively modest reductions in public library provision shows the enormous challenge facing those seeking to reduce the … Continue reading "A simple way to keep every public library open…"

It’s not fanciful to argue that the formation of a Liberal-Conservative coalition government last May was helped by the fact … Continue reading "How truly liberal is the coalition government?"

The so-called ‘cuts’ have dominated the political agenda since the coalition government was formed in May. In totality, the cuts … Continue reading "The real debate – “laissez faire” versus “hands-on” government"

In these grim dark days of austerity and cuts, the coalition urgently needs to find a compelling political narrative of … Continue reading "Finding a narrative of hope"

A major taxman’s blunder was an inevitable result of our tax code, says Mark Littlewood

As the silly season comes to an end and the party conferences approach, the coalition government will find it needs … Continue reading "Hack away – and smile while doing it, minister"

The Liberal-Conservative administration deserves to pass its 100 day probation. It hasn’t done much yet, but it has said some … Continue reading "A solid enough start"

Alcohol consumption is now a major problem in British society. Drunken teenagers are running rampant in our town centres. Accident … Continue reading "Don’t lecture the drinkers, just make them responsible"

The next government of the United Kingdom will have to depart wildly from its manifesto commitments in order to rebuild … Continue reading "What should be done when the social democrats win?"

Michael Gove’s free schools programme has been heralded as the cutting edge of the coalition’s structural reform programme. Removing the … Continue reading "Why education should be for profit"

If you think there really is a big idea behind the Big Society, then you agree with the unlikely pairing … Continue reading "The Big Society is a threat to Labour"

Tory leader David Cameron scored well on rhetoric yesterday – but fell down badly on detail. His vision is of “a … Continue reading "Cameron’s “Big Society” smacks of bureaucracy not empowerment"

The current flirtation of the main political parties with cuts cannot hope to solve Britain’s financial problems. We need to … Continue reading "Selling off state-owned assets should be part of a package to drastically cut public spending"

A new report from  Policy Exchange (strapline: David Cameron’s favourite think tank) has apparently “re-ignited” the “controversial” debate about tobacco.

Iain Duncan Smith deserves credit for fully understanding the nature and scale of the welfare problem. But that’s the easy … Continue reading "Going beyond the IDS reforms"

The decision by the coalition government to raise the cap on tuition fees to £9,000 per annum is a step … Continue reading "The coalition must go further on tuition fees"

Much of the analysis of the Comprehensive Spending Review focused on the big picture and the multi-billion pound savings the … Continue reading "Coalition should stop funding anti-smoking groups"

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has done itself – and the wider public debate about the Comprehensive Spending Review – … Continue reading "The IFS and “fairness” – a woeful contribution to the debate"

The Comprehensive Spending Review deserves a cheer and a half, but not much more than that. The Coalition has developed … Continue reading "The Spending Review could have been far more radical"

In these grim dark days of austerity and cuts, the coalition urgently needs to find a compelling political narrative of … Continue reading "Finding a narrative of hope"

A major taxman’s blunder was an inevitable result of our tax code, says Mark Littlewood The extraordinary inability of Her … Continue reading "Britain’s bewildering tax system needs fixing"

As the silly season comes to an end and the party conferences approach, the coalition government will find it needs … Continue reading "Hack away – and smile while doing it, minister"

Mark Thompson’s vigorous defence of the BBC’s role and contribution to broadcasting marks the first skirmish in the build up … Continue reading "The BBC licence fee’s time has passed"

The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ recent analysis of the budget – purporting to show that it isn’t “progressive” as the … Continue reading "“Progressive” and “fair” – the heart of the free market movement"

The Liberal-Conservative administration deserves to pass its 100 day probation. It hasn’t done much yet, but it has said some … Continue reading "A solid enough start"

The coalition government is considering scrapping the fixed retirement age and Minister for Employment Relations, Ed Davey, is promoting the … Continue reading "Scrapping the ’statutory retirement age’ – clever spin, but a retrograde step"

If you tire quickly of the tediously lengthy build up to Christmas, which starts about now, then heaven help you … Continue reading "Never again should so much be wasted by so few"

Alcohol consumption is now a major problem in British society. Drunken teenagers are running rampant in our town centres. Accident … Continue reading "Don’t lecture the drinkers, just make them responsible"

The next government of the United Kingdom will have to depart wildly from its manifesto commitments in order to rebuild … Continue reading "What should be done when the social democrats win?"

Tory leader David Cameron scored well on rhetoric yesterday – but fell down badly on detail. His vision is of “a … Continue reading "Cameron’s “Big Society” smacks of bureaucracy not empowerment"

The current flirtation of the main political parties with cuts cannot hope to solve Britain’s financial problems. We need to … Continue reading "Selling off state-owned assets should be part of a package to drastically cut public spending"

A new report from Policy Exchange (strapline: David Cameron’s favourite think tank) has apparently “re-ignited” the “controversial” debate about tobacco. The document is … Continue reading "Tobacco tax proposals should go up in smoke"

While I never met him personally, I want to express my sadness at the recent death of a former Publishing Director … Continue reading "Walter Allan R.I.P."

With youth unemployment rising to 1 million, the government – or more realistically the Tories – need a radical rethink … Continue reading "The Tories need a rethink on the minimum wage"