Benjamin Franklin once noted that “nothing is certain, except death and taxes”. Given recent developments, I’d add government incompetence in … Continue reading “There has never been a better time to simplify our labyrinthine tax code”

“Britain is damning itself to be a low wage, low productivity economy”. How many headlines like that have we read … Continue reading “The chancellor’s national insurance hike is based on a faulty reading of aggregate statistics”

Most of us believe that some tax is required to fund government spending and some taxes are better than others. … Continue reading “Reforming Britain’s Tax System”

Few disagree that Britain’s tax system is a mess. Whether it’s the baffling contradiction of taxing fuel uniquely heavily if … Continue reading “A clutch of taxes deserve to be abolished”

There are a myriad of reasons for merging National Insurance (NI) with income tax in a revenue neutral manner. It … Continue reading “National Insurance should be abolished”

That grandly Dickensian-sounding outfit, the Office of Tax Simplification, has recommended merging national insurance and income tax. This proposal, first mooted … Continue reading “Merging National Insurance and Income Tax – maybe this time?”

Given the proximity to the election, most commentators predicted a ‘Budget of giveaways’, full of populist gimmicks. Judged against that … Continue reading “Osborne’s Budget delivers too little bang for the buck”

William Beveridge is not a popular figure among classical liberals. He is blamed for paving the way for the nationalisation … Continue reading “Restoring contracting-out: Towards a voluntary system of private pensions”

Today’s labour market figures again present a largely positive picture, with unemployment falling once more, employment rising sharply, and economic … Continue reading “Regulation continues to hinder job creation”