The case for scrapping the increase in National Insurance contributions (NICs) planned for April is now so overwhelming that is hard to find good arguments in favour of keeping it. I’ve seen a few, but they are easy to knock down. Nick Macpherson, formerly the top civil servant at the Treasury, has tweeted that ‘National … Continue reading Time to ditch the National Insurance hike
Tag: borrowing
Why we don’t need tax rises to pay for Covid
How deep a hole are we in? The Institute of Economic Affairs has just published a primer I’ve written on the state of the public finances, which digs into this question. On the bright side, I argue that there is no need for any form of austerity, including tax rises, to fill a gap left … Continue reading Why we don’t need tax rises to pay for Covid
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Debt
I’ve read some utter tosh on the state of the UK public finances in the last few days. Here is an attempt to correct some of the biggest misunderstandings. Most importantly, government debt does not have to be ‘repaid’, only serviced. As long as the government can meet the interest payments (I’ll come back to … Continue reading How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Debt
Plain-speaking Economics 