Author: julianhjessop

Sunak’s ‘tax bombshell’ is likely to be a damp squib

Here we go again… another day of alarming headlines about a tax ‘bombshell’ set to hit as soon as the Autumn Budget, with a ‘state pension grab’ chucked in too. Fortunately, there isn’t much substance in any of this – at least not yet. Let’s start by contrasting what the Sunday newspapers are saying. The … Continue reading Sunak’s ‘tax bombshell’ is likely to be a damp squib →

Home working choices shouldn’t be the government’s business

I can understand why the government is launching a campaign to encourage people to go back to work. Its own dire warnings about the importance of staying at home had contributed to a climate of fear that perhaps only the government itself can now undo. But there is also a danger that attempts to replicate … Continue reading Home working choices shouldn’t be the government’s business →

How more accurate data help to explain the relatively large fall in UK GDP

There is a lively debate among economists about the way in which UK statisticians are estimating the impact of Covid and the lockdown on the output of the public sector. This is a relatively arcane topic and the mainstream media can be forgiven for not yet covering it. But it is important, not least because … Continue reading How more accurate data help to explain the relatively large fall in UK GDP →