The government should learn from big companies on local pay policy October 30, 2012 THE Heseltine Review, written by former deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine is published today. It recommends how growth might be spurred across the country by public sector bodies interacting more effectively with the private sector. One essential part of this plan – although unfortunately not included by Heseltine – is reform of how public sector [...]
If corporation tax didn’t already exist it would be madness to introduce it October 30, 2012 CORPORATION tax is back in the news. Starbucks is the latest company to be in the spotlight, having allegedly paid £8m corporation tax in 14 years, despite sales of more than £1bn. This became noteworthy when the Prime Minister waded into the debate, expressing his concern with the levels of tax some companies are paying. [...]
Europe’s new ban on short selling is a failed old policy October 30, 2012 TOMORROW, new regulations on short selling come into force across the European Union. Although designed to stabilise prices, they will have harmful effects on market quality, while producing few of the benefits claimed by their supporters. We’ve been here before. During the early stages of the financial crisis, politicians pulled every plug they could to [...]
Does Hurricane Sandy have the potential to change the outcome of the US election? October 30, 2012 YES Ewan Watt It’s common for political pundits to overanalyse the impact of particular events on the US presidential race and Hurricane Sandy is no exception. But Sandy could potentially result in the closure of polling stations in key swing states, like North Carolina and Virginia, which may have a particular impact on early voting [...]
Rapid responses October 30, 2012 EU budget battles [Re: Cameron should wield the UK veto and block the EU’s bloated budget, yesterday] Priti Patel is emerging as the rising star of the Conservative party, and this spirited encouragement for David Cameron to stand firm on ridiculous EU budget demands just adds to her support for tax reform earlier this week. [...]
Cameron should wield the UK veto and block the EU’s bloated budget October 29, 2012 THIRTY years ago, Margaret Thatcher secured reforms to the European Economic Community’s budget – including the UK rebate – which have since saved taxpayers a total of some £65bn. She defied those who said this was impossible by standing firm, defending the national interest and fighting hard on a political and intellectual level. Negotiations are [...]
The austerity myth: Why the government is counting on unrealistic growth October 29, 2012 REGULAR readers of this column will be familiar with the theme of a paper I’ve just published. Called In Search of Austerity, and published by the Mercatus Center, part of George Mason University in the US, it probes the idea that there is far less austerity going on than people think. It’s a controversial topic. [...]
A radical proposal for privatising the UK’s road network October 29, 2012 GOVERNMENTS have used motorists as a cash cow for decades. Fuel duty and road tax raise around £35bn a year, while less than £10bn is spent on road maintenance and improvements. As motoring taxes have increased, investment in new road capacity has collapsed. Transport policy has gradually become dominated by an agenda that seeks to [...]
Will a merger between Penguin and Random House better place the firm to tackle Amazon? October 29, 2012 YES Lizzie Carr The merger of Penguin and Random House is ultimately about the survival of the fittest. Publishing is going through revolutionary changes, and this merger shows just how much some brands will need to adapt to survive in today’s marketplace. Given the size of the two companies, there are some obvious cost-savings the [...]
Rapid responses October 29, 2012 Tax nightmare [Re: How income tax has become such a nightmare for so many, yesterday] The main problem with Britain’s income tax system is that government gets larger with every tax rise. It’s about time we tried doing things the other way round. Jeremy Poynton Whatever problems our tax system causes, Labour would do nothing [...]