Britannia Radio

TaxPayers' Alliance Bulletin - 6th May 2011 Rally Against Debt We hope you have had two enjoyable bank holiday weekends. This week we have a bumper bulletin for you with more details of an exciting upcoming rally and everything that we've been up to in the last two weeks.  With just over a week to go until the Rally Against Debt on Saturday the 14th of May we are making final preparations for the big event. We're joining hundreds of like minded people to highlight the need for the Government to get spending under control and stop EU bailouts. There is a factsheet here that sets out why we think you should join us.  If you use Facebook, then register that you will be attending on the official event page. If you'd like more information on the rally, then see the FAQs on the official website.  There will be several speakers at the event, details to be announced on our website, and it will be a chance for you to meet other supporters. It’s a static rally so no need for walking boots, we will finish by 2pm. Some of you have asked about banners and messages and what would be appropriate. It would be fantastic to see some placards, take a look at the factsheet for inspiration.  We will also be making placards and other materials on Friday the 13th May at the TPA’s offices.  If you would like to come along and help out then as well as joining us on the Saturday, please e-mail Emma Bennett. We look forward to meeting as many of you as can make it next weekend, Saturday the 14th May at 11am in Old Palace Yard (nearest tube Westminster).   Unions pressure councillors to spend more The public finances are in bad shape so councils should be reducing their spending, and unions should be suggesting ways to help this process to protect frontline services and their members. But Unison, Unite and GMB have sent a joint email around to councillors before the local elections asking them to help public sector workers decide who to vote for and asking them to indicate whether they would increase pay and perks for staff.  Among other things they ask councillors to protect the overly generous mileage allowances that council staff enjoy. We released research on council mileage recently, showing that many councils were paying 25p per mile more than the HMRC rate, costing taxpayers millions. It's hardly surprising that the unions are acting in their own self-interest, but they fail to realise that protecting unsustainable spending like this is not in their long term interests. Read more about the union's unrealistic demands in a blog by our Policy Analyst, Chris Daniel.  Pushing for higher spending on pay and perks will mean less money to provide the services taxpayers are supposed to be paying for. Please write to your councillor and ask them to cut mileage payments to the taxman's recommended rate of 45p per mile. If mileage payments are already low then be helpful and suggest another saving, for example leaving the LGA.  Do get in touch if you get any positive or interesting resources.  Corporation Tax The 2020 Tax Commission, set up by the TPA and the IoD, has been meeting on a regular basis to discuss a range of fiscal issues, one of which was Corporation Tax. Commissioner Anthony J. Evans recently produced a policy brief outlining some of the key points of our discussions, backed up a by a wealth of academic evidence. One of the worst things about high levels of Corporation Tax is that it drives down wages, and The Sun picked up this point from our report.  It featured as the main story on page 2, and was also given a mention on the light-hearted page 3’s News in Briefs! It’s fantastic that the mainstream media are picking up the Commission’s findings about the adverse effects of high taxes and we hope to reach as wide an audience as possible. Taxes aren't an inexhaustible form of income for the government; they stunt growth and damage jobs; read the full Corporation Tax briefing here.     Audit Commission waste Yet more stories have emerged about scandalous waste at the Audit Commission, the local government watchdog. One example was the huge bills racked up by officials at swanky restaurants, all paid for with government credit cards. Another was just how much quangocrats enjoyed staying in luxury hotels at taxpayers’ expense, with nearly £800,000 spent on overnight stays in the last two years. These fresh scandals confirm that it was right to abolish the Audit Commission. Our Director Matthew Sinclair recently appeared before the Communities and Local Government Select Committee to tell MPs why the Audit Commission had to be scrapped. To read our opinion piece about the Audit Commission's "Elton John style spending", click here.   Grassroots - Activist profile Each month we profile one of our grassroots activists. This week it's Tim Newark, Grassroots Coordinator for Bath and the South West. Tim started campaigning in Islington, where he lived for over 30 years. One of his big successes in London was against the 'Living Wall', a bizarre and costly project featuring plants growing out of a building. It cost taxpayers over £100,000 and eventually died, proving what a waste it was. The story that Tim uncovered was on the front page of the Islington Tribune, in the Evening Standard, and even made it into the TPA annual review 2009/2010 (click here to download) Last year, Tim moved back to his home city of Bath, where he hit the ground running, getting himself into the local newspaper within a week! A natural campaigner, he has continued where he left off in Islington and regularly highlights numerous examples of waste and largesse. He has blogged on new council stealth taxes in Bath that are hitting small businesses and, more recently, on Exmouth rubbish costs. Like all our activists around the country, Tim is always on the look-out for tip offs and other campaigners to join forces with. He recently followed a lead from a TPA supporter and wrote about a fancy new IT system being bought in Truro much to the frustration of nurses in the hospital. If you think you've spotted an example of taxpayers' money being wasted in the South West, or in other areas of the country, do contact Andrew Allison, our Grassroots Coordinator, or call us in the office on 0845 330 9554.   Best of the Blogs Economics 101: The Growth Figures - Matthew Sinclair on what newly released growth figures actually mean  Burning Our Money: Non-job of the week - Andrew Allison says "Once again we have a council not focusing on delivering core services. Instead, it would rather deal in grandiose schemes and jobs." Better Government: Lord Sugar says government has twice as many civil servants as it needs - £73 for a box of paper? Rory Meakin on continuing civil service inefficiencies Economics 101: False Economy debt projection update - False Economy still wrong about personal debt, explains Matthew Sinclair Campaign: Council to start charging for exercising in the park - Councils shouldn’t be using inane fines to try to fill their coffers - particularly laughably unenforceable ones like this Burning Our Money: Non-job of (last) week - Andrew Allison puzzles over 'Healing Histories' and other bizarre job-titles Grassroots: Humberside Police will spend £60 million on new divisional HQ - Andrew Allison highlights the whopping bill for a new divisional headquarters in Hull