An online sales tax would be a small hassle for Amazon, but a hard blow for our shops Tom Clougherty The Treasury is considering whether to introduce an online sales tax (OST) as a “means to rebalance the taxation of the retail sector between online and in-store retail”. A decision is expected in autumn – probably as part of the Chancellor’s Budget. If the government has any sense, it will run a mile from taking [...]
Have the economic benefits of post-Brexit free ports been overhyped? Have the economic benefits of post-Brexit free ports been overhyped? Adrienne Buller, senior research fellow at think tank Common Wealth, says YES. Free ports are a white elephant — a symbolic gesture from the government in lieu of meaningful investment in “levelling up” regions outside London. There is little evidence to support the idea that [...]
DEBATE: Would Modern Monetary Theory be a viable strategy to boost the UK economy? Would Modern Monetary Theory be a viable strategy to boost the UK economy? Melissa Davies, partner and chief economist at Redburn, says YES. Profound changes have opened the door to creative policy-making in the UK. All the parties have abandoned fiscal belt-tightening, and the Bank of England has implicitly acknowledged that it will continue to [...]
