Council finances in dire straits, MPs say Politics Councils could run out of money in 2026 due to unsustainable book balancing methods, according to parliamentarians. The hike in national insurance contributions (NIC), combined with spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), has squeezed local council finances, a new report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found. Despite Reform’s DOGE campaign, they [...]
Tax evasion likely ‘far higher’ than HMRC estimates Business The true scale of tax evasion is likely far higher than HMRC estimates, with the department “not sufficiently curious” about solving the problem, a government committee has said. The UK tax gap was £5.5bn in the 2022-23 financial year, equivalent to around 0.7 per cent of all taxes owed and considerably lower than similar economies. [...]