Tag: inflation

An online sales tax would be more trouble than it is worth

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

Weak consumer confidence doesn’t necessarily signal recession

If you believe the media coverage of the latest consumer confidence surveys, household spending is set to collapse under the weight of the cost of living crisis, dragging the UK economy into a deep recession. But how reliable are these signals? As always, it is worth digging past the headlines. The GfK measure of consumer … Continue reading Weak consumer confidence doesn’t necessarily signal recession →

Podcast on UK inflation and monetary policy

I recorded a podcast for the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Friday 6th May on UK inflation, definitions of 'recession' and 'stagflation', and what more the Bank of England could (and should) have done. You can listen here... https://ieapodcast.podbean.com/e/interest-rates-how-to-control-inflation/

Brexit is not to blame for the surge in UK inflation

Ouch! It looks increasingly likely that the headline measure of consumer price inflation is going to start with a '9' in April...