Author Archives: Adam Corlett

Opinion: This graph of income tax rates might surprise you

By Adam Corlett | 7th May 2012 - 11:54 am

If this graph seems confusing, it’s because it accurately describes taxation of income in the UK. What alternative can Lib Dems offer? I think there are four key problems and solutions.

Firstly, while the personal allowance is rising (to £9,205 next year), the National Insurance thresholds lag behind. As I’ve written previously, raising these is more progressive and, so, equalising the thresholds and the allowance must be the priority before going beyond £10,000.
Then there’s the withdrawal of the

…

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged income tax | 28 Comments

Opinion: If Cameron won’t attend Rio+20 then Clegg should

By Adam Corlett | 20th January 2012 - 8:48 am

The Rio ‘Earth’ Summit in 1992 was the “world’s biggest ever political gathering” with 108 heads of state or government. Its successes and failures on the environment and development continue to shape those debates.

In June, Rio de Janeiro will host the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, a.k.a. Rio+20. A very early draft document suggests it will cover a wide range of topics, including access to food, water and energy; marine litter and pollution; eliminating “market distorting and environmentally harmful subsidies [...] including those on fossil fuels, agriculture and fisheries” (I’ll believe it when I see …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged climate change, david cameron, environment, nick clegg, Rio+20 summit and united nations | 4 Comments

Opinion: “The first £10,000 you earn tax-free”? Not unless we act on National Insurance

By Adam Corlett | 1st November 2011 - 10:55 am

At Conference, Danny Alexander repeated his view that the personal allowance for income tax should be raised beyond £10,000, saying:

In the next Parliament, I want us to go further; our aspiration should be that someone working full time on the minimum wage should pay no income tax at all. An income tax threshold of £12,500 – think what that would do to work incentives, think what it would mean for basic fairness. Let’s put that on the front page of our next manifesto.

The idea certainly seems popular within the party. But remarkably absent from these discussions is any mention of National Insurance. The very first point in our 2010 manifesto was “the first £10,000 you earn tax-free” but, while it later clarified it meant income tax (IT), it’s hard to see why the parallel income tax that is National Insurance (NI) should be treated any differently.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged national insurance, tax and tax cuts (Lib Dem) | 24 Comments

Opinion: Why we need an impact assessment of drugs policy

By Adam Corlett | 17th December 2010 - 2:21 pm

Yesterday, Labour MP and former minister, Bob Ainsworth came out strongly against drugs prohibition. He proposed an “Impact Assessment of the Misuse of Drugs Act”, an “independent, evidence-based review, exploring all policy options” which was welcomed by Lib Dem MP Tom Brake. This is precisely one of the things that the Liberal Democrats for Drug Policy Reform (LDDPR) are calling for and I’d therefore like to give an overview of why an impact assessment is needed and is something that all can support.  

1. One has never been done despite strong reasons for concern 
Back in 1971, there were no ‘impact …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged bob ainsworth, drugs, lddpr and policy | 13 Comments