Tax, tax and more tax. Does Rachel Reeves not know there’s another way? Opinion Wealth taxes, pension raids, inheritance tax, does Labour really not know there's another option, asks John O'Connell.
Spending review: Labour’s economy is austerity for the taxpayer Opinion 'Austerity' isn’t just about reducing public expenditure – it also applies to tax hikes, writes John O'Connell following the Spending Review.
David Beckham and Spain’s tax shake-down Opinion Spain’s socialist prime minister is waging a vicious campaign against law-abiding people who’ve benefited from the country’s David Beckham tax – and the Spanish economy will suffer as a result, says John O’Connell There aren’t many people more famous than David Beckham. He’s so famous, in fact, that he even has a tax law named [...]
If we want more entrepreneurs we should tax them less April 8, 2025 Altogether, from the very first penny received from an employer to the very last penny passed down to one’s children, the tax on entrepreneurship can get up to 93.1 per cent, says John O’Connell In a speech she gave in January, the Chancellor declared that it is “businesses, investors and entrepreneurs who drive economic growth”, [...]
Abolishing NHS England was a good start – now tackle the rest of the quangos March 19, 2025 The abolition of NHS England sets a welcome precedent, but unless we get rid of the laws and regulations that spawned these quangos in the first place, nothing will change, says John O’Connell Nothing ever changes. How many times have you heard that phrase when talking about the state of the nation with friends and [...]
Why wealth taxes always fail October 29, 2024 Almost every country that has tried imposing wealth taxes has later abolished them, with good reason says John O’Connell Rachel Reeves’ problem tomorrow is a simple one to describe, if not a simple one to solve. How does she raise the revenue needed to fund the spending binges of her colleagues, without raising taxes on [...]
The real ‘black hole’ in the public finances is the debt July 31, 2024 The Chancellor is right, the public deserve to know just how bad the economy is – so she should be honest about the millions of pounds a day that are added to the national debt, says John O’Connell Reeves’ tone was one of righteous fury on Monday as she bellowed at the opposite benches for [...]
The Notebook: John O’Connell on corporation tax, rail subsidies, and dangerous books February 21, 2023 The Notebook is where interesting people say interesting things. Today, it’s John O’Connell, the chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, who riffs on corporation tax, 4.99 per cent council tax hikes and the books that have a little more spice than they used to The economy is doing slightly better than expected. Which, to be [...]
The Notebook: Reforming the NHS, how the world got rich, and tax breaks for the over-50s January 16, 2023 The notebook is a place for interesting people to say interesting things. Today, it’s the turn of John O’Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance Reforming the NHS no longer so unsayable? As the NHS endures its annual winter crisis – before it moves into its inevitable summer crisis – thousands of doctors are reportedly [...]
DEBATE: With Alistair Darling standing down from the House of Lords, is it time to consider term limits for peers? July 31, 2020 With Alistair Darling standing down from the House of Lords, is it time to consider term limits for peers? John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, says YES. The House of Lords needs to be reformed. It is too big, too opaque, and too expensive. With Alistair Darling deciding to stand down from the [...]
