Tag Archives: national insurance

IFS verdict: Labour’s 10p tax idea “has no plausible economic justification”

By Stephen Tall | Fri 15th February 2013 - 8:00 am

Ed Miliband’s announcement yesterday that Labour will re-introduce a 10p starting rate of income tax paid for through the introduction of Vince Cable’s mansion tax has received a tepid response from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The IFS put out a note yesterday headed simply, Better options exist to help low earners than 10p tax rate:

A 10p tax rate would reduce taxes for those on low incomes and strengthen their work incentives. A far simpler and more sensible way of achieving these aims would be to spend the same

…

Posted in News | Also tagged ed miliband, featured, income tax, institute for fiscal studies, mansion tax, tax and vince cable | 12 Comments

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

By Adam Corlett | Tue 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 | Also tagged tax and tax cuts (Lib Dem) | 24 Comments

Two major tax reforms the government should see through

By Mark Pack | Fri 18th March 2011 - 3:23 pm

There’s been some promising chatter in the run up to next week’s Budget about two major changes to our tax system, both of which have often been talked about across the political spectrum and both of which politicians have previously ended up shying away from because of the political hurdles involved.

First is integrating income tax and national insurance. As The Independent reported,

The move is expected to be signalled by George Osborne in his Budget next Wednesday. Although such a huge change would take years to implement, the Chancellor is determined to be seen as a reformer and not just

…

Posted in News | Also tagged eric pickles, featured, george osborne, income tax and tax | 10 Comments

What the think tanks are saying: Is this the end of National Insurance?

By George Kendall | Thu 24th February 2011 - 12:25 pm

The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a Conservative think tank, founded by Margaret Thatcher and Keith Joseph in 1974. In November last year, it published an article by David Martin entitled Abolish NICs – towards a more honest, fairer and simpler system .

In the forward, Jill Kirby (at the time Director of the CPS), said: “National Insurance (NI) has become income tax by another name. Yet… it is riddled with inconsistencies”

Do the arguments presented in David Martin’s paper indicate the beginning of the end for National Insurance Contributions? Certainly, the arguments are pretty compelling.

The paper summarises …

Posted in What do the academics say? | Also tagged Centre for Policy Studies and think tank | 13 Comments

The Independent View: Asking business leaders to think again

By Katy Wells | Sun 11th April 2010 - 5:50 pm

This week, leaders of some of the UK’s biggest businesses came out in support of George Osborne’s plans to reverse Labour’s proposed National Insurance rise. In a letter to the Telegraph, they argue that the reversal, to be funded by an extra £6 billion’s worth of efficiency savings, is needed to protect jobs keep Britain’s economic recovery on track.

38 Degrees has launched a campaign to persuade these business leaders to change their minds. We’re concerned that their outcry might have less to do with concerns about job-losses, and more to do with the effect that the increases in their financial …

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged 38 degrees and george osborne | 2 Comments

Vince: Labour and Tory plans “would drive public finances into the ground”

By Stephen Tall | Thu 1st April 2010 - 6:45 pm

The Tories’ pledged this week to reverse Labour’s National Insurance tax rises by increasing the UK deficit. Today Labour’s Lord Mandelson accused the Tories – seemingly without a trace of irony – of “peddling deception”.

The Lib Dems’ shadow chancellor Vince Cable is having no truck with the Labservative approach:

Labour and the Tories are as bad as each other. Under both their plans, public finances would be driven into the ground. Whether it’s for tax cuts or filling in the deficit hole, both parties seem to be in a competition to see who can come up with the

…

Posted in News | Also tagged david cameron and tax | 1 Comment

Nick: "Jobs are right at the heart of the Lib Dems’ agenda"

"Lib Dems set to name 7 new peers for House of Lords"

EU in/out referendum bill - will Lib Dem MPs abstain?

The Morrissey Report: "No excuses" says Caron Lindsay

Tag Archives: national insurance

IFS verdict: Labour’s 10p tax idea “has no plausible economic justification”

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

Two major tax reforms the government should see through

What the think tanks are saying: Is this the end of National Insurance?

The Independent View: Asking business leaders to think again

Vince: Labour and Tory plans “would drive public finances into the ground”

Most Read

Op-eds

Recent Comments

Nick: "Jobs are right at the heart of the Lib Dems’ agenda"

"Lib Dems set to name 7 new peers for House of Lords"

EU in/out referendum bill - will Lib Dem MPs abstain?

The Morrissey Report: "No excuses" says Caron Lindsay

Tag Archives: national insurance

IFS verdict: Labour’s 10p tax idea “has no plausible economic justification”

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

Two major tax reforms the government should see through

What the think tanks are saying: Is this the end of National Insurance?

The Independent View: Asking business leaders to think again

Vince: Labour and Tory plans “would drive public finances into the ground”

Subscribe

Most Read

Search

Op-eds

Recent Comments