Like many, I was sceptical about the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme when it was first announced. Indeed, we may never really know what the net impact on the economy has been. But the evidence so far at least is encouraging. To recap, ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ (EOTHO) was a UK government subsidy … Continue reading Jury still out on ‘Eat Out to Help Out’
Category: coronavirus
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
Plain-speaking Economics 