By Anna Sonny Negative press surrounding the Ukrainian government has been gathering pace over the last few weeks as political tensions in the domestic sphere cast a shadow over their relations with the rest of Europe. The Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, is under fire from the EU because of his government’s poor human rights record… [Read More]
It is a pity that the 2020 Tax Commission, the Taxpayers’ Alliance and the Institute of Directors did not put their heads together before the Commission came out with its flat-rate tax proposal. It is a pity because, with just one more number, you can get rid of the ‘cliff edge’ at £10k and obtain smoother ‘progressivity’.
Today, Andrew Bailey, a director of the Bank of England and soon-to-be chief regulator of the financial services industry described free banking as a ‘dangerous myth’.
Yesterday saw the launch of Reform Section 5, a new civil liberties campaign that aims to reform the Public Order Act so that it no longer has a chilling effect on free speech and debate in the UK. What was particularly laudable was its broad base of support, featuring both the Christian Institute and the… [Read More]
By Anna Sonny On May 6, the French elected Francois Hollande as their new President, only the second Socialist leader to succeed at the polls under France’s Fifth Republic. Promises of growth instead of austerity, combined with the ever-increasing unpopularity of Nicolas Sarkozy, gained Hollande 52.7% of the French vote.
By David Conway Only actions, not words, can break bones. People can, however, be just as badly damaged by hateful things said about them. So why should not the criminal law be made to protect people as much from malicious words as from physical assault? I raise this question in light of a common reaction… [Read More]
Britain’s financial regulators have been co-opted into protecting major banks from competition, according to a new Civitas report. The result is that big banks can get away with reducing lending to businesses and offering poor service to customers, without the risk of losing accounts to competitors. Street Cred, by Stephen L. Clarke, examines how financial… [Read More]
This week, Russell Brand held court before the Home Affairs Select Committee, causing a bit of a media stir by appearing in a torn vest and a black hat. Perhaps somewhat overshadowed by his theatrical appearance were his proposals for tackling drug use which represent a blend of harm-reduction and full recovery policies. These approaches… [Read More]
By Lucy Hatton The collapse of the Netherlands centre-right coalition government marks the latest in a long line of Eurozone governments to be brought to its knees by the debt crisis plaguing the EU. The implementation of austerity measures proved too much for the government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which has been in power… [Read More]
Tax relief on charitable donations allows basic-rate and higher-rate taxpayers alike to donate to charities from gross income before tax. The method of calculating the relief is not intuitive and gives an impression of unfairness. A change in the method could make it plain that the charities are the true beneficiaries.