TaxPayers' Alliance Bulletin - 5th December 2008
Goodbye to Corin Taylor
We are sad to announce that Corin Taylor, who has been the TPA's Research Director for the last two years, is moving on to a new role with the Institute of Directors. We congratulate Corin on his new job, and thank him for all the excellent work he has done in building up the TPA's research arm into a ground-breaking, attention-grabbing and highly efficient weapon in the fight against high taxes and bad government. Corin will of course be missed, but we are pleased to announce that Matthew Sinclair, a TPA Policy Analyst for the last eighteen months, will be taking on the role of Research Director. To fill Matt's shoes, and further expand the research department, we will be taking on two new Policy Analysts in January.
Corin has sent this message to you all:
“It has been an incredible experience working for such a dynamic campaign, and it has been very pleasing to play a part in the organisation’s rapid growth. We are now at a stage where our voice cannot be ignored in Westminster, and where waste, transparency, the tax burden and the quality (or lack of) of political management are now key issues. I want to thank Matthew Elliott, Andrew Allum and everyone at the TPA, and all our thousands of supporters, for making the last two years possible. I will stay closely in touch, and wish everyone well for the future.”
The TPA's Chief Executive, Matthew Elliott said:
"Corin has set up the best Research Unit in Westminster. We now have more Masters Degrees and a greater ability to crunch complex government statistics than any other think-tank or campaign group of a comparable size. Under Corin's leadership, the research team has established a publications programme that is the foundation for our media success and which underpins our growing policy influence. We're going to miss Corin, but we're pleased that he's only moving to the other side of St James's Park, so we will be keeping in very close touch with our good friend and we look forward to his next movie and pizza night."
Have your say on politicians' pay
"Corin has set up the best Research Unit in Westminster. We now have more Masters Degrees and a greater ability to crunch complex government statistics than any other think-tank or campaign group of a comparable size. Under Corin's leadership, the research team has established a publications programme that is the foundation for our media success and which underpins our growing policy influence. We're going to miss Corin, but we're pleased that he's only moving to the other side of St James's Park, so we will be keeping in very close touch with our good friend and we look forward to his next movie and pizza night."
Have your say on politicians' pay
The Welsh Assembly have responded in exactly the right way to the furore over politicians' pay and expenses by establishing a no-holds-barred investigation into the issue. The TPA's Campaign Manager, Susie Squire (who is herself a daughter of the valleys), has been giving evidence to the committee today, and calling for full transparency in expenses, an end to the trend of repeated pay rises and a stop to the farce of Assembly Members who live near Cardiff getting allowances for a second home. She and other TPA spokesmen have been all over the Welsh media today commenting on the issue and standing up for taxpayers. You can send your comments in to this email address: IndependentReviewPanel@Wales.GSI.Gov.UK The people carrying out the inquiry seem to be genuinely open to our demands for full publication of receipts and proper restraint on politicians' remuneration, so positive contributions only please! If we can succeed in getting solid improvements in Wales, it will make it all the more difficult for Westminster (and eventually Brussels) to resist.
Fight the motorbike taxThe TPA is proud to have joined forces with a new grassroots campaign against a proposed tax on motorbikes and scooters. The No To Bike Parking Fees campaign has been set up to oppose Westminster City Council's new scheme for charging motorbikes and scooters £1.50 a day to park in the Borough, whereas it used to be free. As ever, the TPA is opposed to any attempt to increase taxes on people, particularly in the middle of a recession, and if Westminster get away with this you can be sure other councils across the country will pick up on this new way to squeeze cash out of the public. The fight for lower taxes will only succeed if we all pull together to protect each and every group from higher taxes, so do take the opportunity to sign up to their campaign here. If you live in Westminster, write to your councillor to demand an end to the scheme and come along to the protest which is going to be held on Sunday 14th December at 11am, starting at Golden Square, W1. There will be hundreds of bikers taking part in a go-slow protest through Westminster, all wearing the TPA's logo and campaigning for lower taxes - it should be quite a sight!
TPA activists in the news
TPA activists in the news
TPA activist Ian Taylor from Kent scored a blow for the campaign when his opinion piece appeared in the Saturday Kentish Observer last weekend. Writing about our report on Regional Development Agencies, Ian shows how our grassroots supporters and campaigners are vital to the success of our campaign. You can read Ian’s piece here. When we publish a report, please do take advantage of the publicity generated in the media by writing to your local newspaper in support - it's a great way to reinforce the low tax message and raise awareness of the campaign. If you need help finding their contact details, please email our grassroots coordinator Tim Aker tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com and he’ll you with the contact details. Do copy us in when you write your letters, so we can keep an archive for future use and pick out some of the best to encourage others.
Vote No to the Manchester Congestion Charge Yesterday, TPA West Midlands Campaign Agent Fiona McEvoy joined Peter Roberts of the Drivers' Alliance at Manchester's Trafford Centre to urge Christmas shoppers to vote No to the proposed Manchester Congestion Charge. The reaction they got was very encouraging, with large numbers of people approaching them to express their support and to get details of the campaign. You can read Fiona's full report from the day here. The No campaign, supported by Peter and Fiona, have been working extremely hard up in Manchester, and we've all got our fingers crossed for a No vote against this cash grab. It would be a great blow against rising taxes to defeat the Congestion Charge scheme in the referendum. If you live in the area, don't forget to use your vote to keep taxes low before the 11th December deadline!
2009 Action days
As part of our ambitious plans to make an even bigger impact on the political agenda in 2009, we’re aiming to have at least one TPA action day every week to take our message to the country. If you would like either a petition day in your town centre or a local neighbourhood leaflet drop please email our grassroots coordinator Tim Aker at tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com to set a date so we can rally together our TPA supporters to take our message of lower taxes to your community. The support we get from the public on our action days is fantastic, so the more we can get out and about, the better.
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