I have to tip my hat to Civitas. The ‘Tufton Street’ think tank made quite a splash on Monday, including bagging the front page of the Daily Mail, with two striking claims. One was that over half of UK households now receive more in benefits from the government than they pay in tax. The other … Continue reading Are we becoming too dependent on the state?
Tag: universal credit
The case for a real-terms benefit cut is weak – and it would be political madness
The reluctance of both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister to confirm that non-pensioner benefits (notably Universal Credit) will be uprated next year in line with inflation has fed speculation that the Government is considering a real-terms cut. My advice would be to squash this idea as soon as possible – mainly because it is … Continue reading The case for a real-terms benefit cut is weak – and it would be political madness
My wish list for the March Budget
On 3rd February I was one of four economists who testified to the House of Commons Treasury Committee on the 2021 Budget, exactly one month before Rishi Sunak is due to present it for real. We disagreed on many things, but there was a strong consensus on two points. First, March is far too soon … Continue reading My wish list for the March Budget
More state intervention is not the answer to reviving our economy
Many people argue that the Covid crisis has demonstrated the need for government to take a bigger role in the economy, in good times as well as bad. When asked to suggest five policies to help the recovery their ‘wish lists’ are therefore full of ways in which the state could do even more. In … Continue reading More state intervention is not the answer to reviving our economy
Plain-speaking Economics 