The UK government has been consulting on the concept of an ‘online sales tax’, or OST, which could raise £1-2 billion annually to help pay for a reduction in business rates for physical retailers. I submitted a response to the consultation, which is available here... ost-consultation-response-20-may-2022-julian-jessopDownload
Category: Digital economy
Forget Bitcoin’s latest collapse, digital currencies are still the future
The latest slump in the prices of Bitcoin (and many of its peers) has put a serious dent in their credibility as a reliable means of payment, let alone as a store of value or a sound investment. But this is certainly not the end for digital currencies. If anything, the crash in the prices … Continue reading Forget Bitcoin’s latest collapse, digital currencies are still the future
Schools presentation on the ‘sharing economy’
Here are the slides from a v-talk I gave this morning (23rd February 2021) to A-level students of economics... sharing-economy-23-feb-2021Download
The pros and (mostly) cons of an online sales tax
The Sunday Times has reported that UK officials are mulling two new taxes on digital businesses – an online sales tax and an ‘excess profits tax’ – in order to help fill the hole in the public finances and support the High Street. In my view, both are bad ideas. In general, economists quite like … Continue reading The pros and (mostly) cons of an online sales tax
Plain-speaking Economics 