The TaxPayers' Alliance - Campaign

The arrogance of the political class

Why can't politicians be trusted...

Because they don’t trust you!

Such is the image Simon Milton, head of the Local Government Association, gives off today.  He’s paraphrased in Peter Riddell’s article in the Times this morning arguing against direct democracy and localised public services because voters could get “confused”.  For Simon Milton to criticise direct democracy in favour of a system with numerous cabinet positions, committees, Area Forums and the shady power of council officers, shows a great lack of judgement. 

But should we be surprised, it’s Mr. Milton’s job at the Local Government Association to defend the pork-barrel of local government.  Local government publicity runs into a half-a-billion-pound taxpayer-funded industry.  Your council tax lines the pockets of councillors up and down the country.  They’re having a laugh at your expense!  Do you seriously think he will argue for reformed, cheaper, effective, efficient public services tailored to the taxpayer and not the politicians when they’re on such an easy ride at the moment?  This is why our campaign is as important as it ever has been!  We've got to hold them to account to prevent the disgraces such as this story from Northumberland...

The leader of Northumberland County Council took it upon himself to unilaterally increase the bloated pay of high-ranking council bureaucrats at a time when the council has got to make service cuts and increase your taxes.  Here the article exposes the disgusting waste of taxpayers’ money at a time when Council Tax bills are set to soar yet again:

“Council leader Peter Hillman unilaterally granted the payments at a time when the authority is seeking to slash £4.7million from budgets.

Chief executive Mark Henderson, who was on around £150,000 a year, deputy chief executive Jill Dixon, who was paid about £110,000, and finance director Steven Mason, who earned around £100,000, have been receiving the extra wages since October.

Mark Henderson's wage will now have increased to about £180,000, which relates to around £15,000 a month. He earns in one month about the same as the average north Northumberland resident earns in one year.

Jill Dixon's wage will have increased to about £132,000 and Steven Mason's to £120,000.”

Needless to say you should hold this councillor to account and ask him precisely why he unilaterally decided to award these overpaid bureaucrats thousands of pounds of your money more a year!

If you wish to contact Cllr. Hillman, you can reach him at the following:
Telephone: 0191 2372249
Email Address: phillman@northumberland.gov.uk

Let’s stand up and hold these councillors to account.  Remember this is your money and your campaign.  It’s only as strong as your efforts to achieve lower taxes.  So get involved.  We’ve named ‘em, now you shame ‘em.

SW Surrey TPA meet County Council to call for Council Tax Freeze

South West Surrey TPA Organiser and STAG Chairman Peter Webb led a delegation of taxpayers to Surrey County Hall last week to call for a freeze in Council Tax.  This had been the first consultation a TaxPayers’ Alliance Branch has been invited to, however it had been the 4th for Peter Webb following on from his STAG days.  Here he gives us a report of the consultation:

"Having been shown to reserved car-parking spaces in front of County Hall seven TaxPayers’ Alliance men in suits assembled for the Budget consultation meeting (STAG’s fourth). First we lunched in the staff subsidised canteen (Mousaka and chips and a bottle of water = £4.20). Then two of our party who have worked in County Hall found us a table and chairs in the Grand Hall to prepare for the meeting overlooked by two giant portraits of past monarchs.

At 2pm we entered the Ashcombe Suite to face Leader Mr Nick Skellett, flanked by Mr Phil Walker Chief Finance Officer and members of the Political Executive Committee. Other invitees with us at the ‘top table’ came from Local Business and the Voluntary Sector. The Trade Union representatives were to follow at 3pm

At the last minute we had been sent 20 pages of number crunching by Mr Walker. We had responded with a one page summary of our position and a question from Peter Rauch on staff/cost levels at particular points in 2005-07.   These had been received.  Mr Walker then gave a brief verbal report on the grants situation. It was then open session.

Peter Webb went first:
• The Council’s list of 4 priorities for 2008 was missing a fifth - taxpayer value.  Two  issues had  great cost significance:
• Mainstream Schools were now self-governing and funded accordingly, leaving a diminishing County Council role. Management, Administration, Corporate services and Policy and Performance functions were not correspondingly down-sizing.   Support services were increasingly chargeable to schools.
• The BDR (Business Delivery Review, to find savings in 2005-06) seemed to have run into the sand when it needed to continue.   7332 staff in April 2007 had grown to 8498 at October and to over 8500 by November.
• Mr Walker’s Report showed increasing funding deficits for alternative levels of tax precept increase between 5-3%. Peter Webb questioned the meaning of “appropriate” in “The Council must balance the level of council tax it considers appropriate”. He suggested that the decision was political not economic compromising at around 4.5%. We however asked for a freeze and believed that this was attainable even with higher spending on roads.

Mr Skellett responded that anything he could say would obviously not make Peter happy. He defended the County Council as doing well, efficient according to the Audit Commission and in comparison with other authorities. The Council was still responsible for school admissions, failing schools and transport. Another Councillor spoke on BDR savings made.

The meeting continued with questions from the other groups. 

On the state of Surrey roads Turlough Bamber first acknowledged that Mr Skellett and colleagues, like their peers everywhere, took ‘slings and arrows’ and recalled that where we were on the same side we had offered to help. He went on to repeat that meetings had long since been held with highways Officers without result and that we had been campaigning with experienced and responsible questions including a report handed in at this meeting a year ago. He stressed the importance of the Foreman. Portfolio Holder Mr David Munro answered with a report of steady improvement. Turlough said this wasn’t the Godalming experience, or Guildford’s. Mr Munro said that 35 Road Inspectors were being recruited. (!)

Ernie Hughes protested at the continuing running sore of public pensions. Defined benefit schemes were now being forced to close in the private sector. The stock market was seriously threatened and could further worsen asset back-up. Mr Skellet said that he could only put this in the Government’s court.

The meeting lasted approx 75mins. At the closing both Turlough and Kevin Court were able to buttonhole Councillors. Peter Webb pressed into Nick Skellet’s hand an unanswered letter from 19/11/07 introducing TPA and reviewing outstanding ‘business’ at that date. A News Release had gone out from TPA HQ. Peter Webb would send County Councillors a lobbying message in advance of the full council meeting. We will consider next steps and are encouraged that after returning home Peter Rauch gave Peter Webb a phoned recommendation for a line of future action having been stimulated by the day’s experience after only recently coming to the subject

NOTE: We could not in practice expect to suddenly overturn the effect of the stringent grant settlement on Surrey in particular. It is a pity that, given the redistribution principle, the County cannot visibly show whether, and if so how, it is fighting for reform of the bases of calculation."

Bureaucrats - the same the world over

   

Here in the UK we are all familiar with the way that Government departments, quangos, health trusts, Health and Safety bureaucrats and numerous others spend large amounts of money propagandising and heckling the public about various kinds of behaviour.

From anti-smoking ads and the new campaigns being launched against middle class drinkers to those offensive posters run recently that implied most men are just a few beers away from rape, huge amounts of taxpayers' money pours into creative teams, ad agencies and billboard owners - often to very little effect.

It is reassuring in a way to know it is not just Britain where bureaucrats can't resist the urge to splurge other people's money on something glossy and hectoring. The People's Republic of China apparently has its own series of adverts, using the central character of a panda to put across various messages on familiar themes. My personal favourite is the warning against SARS (above), and a few more are reproduced below. You can see more at The First Post.

It is slightly depressing that the bureaucrats of a Communist dictatorship that makes extensive use of executions and salt mine slavery to suppress political and individual dissent can produce adverts that are more amusing and memorable than any churned out by Britain's apparatchiks.

Pictures by Zhao Bandi, images from China Art Book, edited by Uta Grosenick and Caspar H Schubbe (published by Dumont)

Click to see the full-sized image:

VIOLENCE

 

SMOKING

 

AIDS

TPA Activist Guide: Part 1 - Turning news into a story

2008 has already been an eventful year for our activists, and we’re only 3 weeks in!  We’ve had our Norfolk campaigners highlight the disgraceful behaviour of North Norfolk District Council sending armies of bailiffs to claim the property from those taxpayers who can’t pay their council tax.  In fact we’ve got a rolling campaign in Norfolk with our activists writing numerous letters to the local papers and experienced TPA activist Tony Callaghan regularly on BBC Radio Norfolk putting the case for lower taxes.

In Surrey our TPA branch met with Surrey County Council this week to recommend freezing the Surrey County Council Tax precept, marking another milestone for our grassroots campaigns.  Our Norfolk TPA branch is planning to extend the same offer to Norfolk County Council to meet with them and help them to lower council tax.  Very quickly our campaign has moved on from agitation and recruitment to involving our activists in the politics of securing lower taxes.

So, as a regular feature every Friday, I will upload blogs to the website that will go to form our rolling TPA Activist Guide.  Its aim is to arm you with the skills, knowledge and inspiration to go out and campaign, to maximise the valuable time you give to the TPA.  If there are any areas of campaigning you would like help and advice on, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will include it in the activist guide in future weeks. 

I want to use this first blog to explain the model we used to turn a story hiding deep in the BBC website into a county-wide story that TPA activists are continuously being asked to comment on in the media.  As it worked so well, I’d like to explain to our activists how such a simple method can yield amazing results.  Have a read to know how you can do your bit, with your PC or telephone, to make the difference to our campaign.

Part 1:  Turning news into a story:

1. If you see a story you feel has the potential to become a bigger issue, such as a council trying to bury bad news or a stealth tax increase, then you should let me know ASAP.  (Please don’t waste our time with conspiracy theories.  If you think the police are out to get you – call Amnesty International.)  If, on the other hand you see a story of government abusing its power over taxpayers, taxing and regulating us more and more, please contact me by email or on 0203 051 8144.
2. I will then write a blog about the story.  Previously our blogs have been picked up by regional newspapers, such as the Norfolk story I mentioned earlier.
3. Within the hour I will have written the blog and emailed it to all our activists in the area.  Then it’s your opportunity to make the issue a story.
4. Call your local BBC and commercial radio station news desks and even local TV to bring their attention to the story. (If you have any trouble finding their contact details, we can help you with them) Email our blog to the news desks too, as proof that we as the 18,000-strong TPA are campaigning on it.  Local media like hearing from members of the public - like you - who are getting involved in the political system.  Don't be intimidated, your call or email could make all the difference.  This is exactly what our Norfolk Activists did and look how successful they have been!
5. If you are successful and the media want to interview someone from the TPA, then please call us on 0203 051 8144 so we can provide a spokesman and any further background the journalist might want.
6. By now, as a result of your research and lobbying we have together turned a rather obscure news story into a media campaign hit, putting forward yet more reasons why this country needs lower taxes.  As a result of your efforts, more people will have heard of the TPA and joined the campaign.  This is how we can build that majority for lower taxes, how you can build our grassroots membership into a formidable campaigning force.

Your role is vital in lobbying to highlight our stance for lower taxes in the media.  We are a grassroots campaign group, which means it’s your campaign.  This model shows how you can make all the difference.  It’s worked for us before, and with your help we can put forward even more arguments for lower taxes.

A big day in Norfolk

It was a busy day for the TPA in Norfolk yesterday.  Events started as early as 7am when senior TPA activist Tony Callaghan was interviewed on BBC Radio Norfolk about the story we highlighted last.  Tony went to say how unfair it was that North Norfolk District Council sent out at least 500 notices to council, some of who can’t pay.

Again it’s a big step in our grassroots campaign to have our activists called to conduct radio interviews.  So, I think we can all congratulate Tony on an eloquent, competent and interesting interview.  He certainly made the TPA proud.

It also appears our grassroots campaign highlighting North Norfolk council’s malicious campaign against the vulnerable has ruffled a few feathers.  None other than the Chief Executive of North Norfolk rushed to the Eastern Daily Press last Saturday to berate us, saying our statistics were “flawed”.  Note to the Chief:  all statistics we received were from your council accounts!  Yet again we see a desperate attempt at defending the indefensible by a bureaucracy that seeks to tax and tax but over-reacts when being held to account.

At Midday a group of us met at the Nelson Hotel in Norwich to discuss how to take the campaign forward in Norwich.  These meetings are vital to our campaign, because we need your ideas.  It’s your campaign to defend your money from the taxman after all.  We evaluated the campaign over the past weeks, which saw unprecedented levels of local press coverage from our grassroots campaigning and decided to maintain that strategy.  Remember all it took was our activists highlighting a story, a shocking one at that, and lobbying the press and radio to make it a story worth covering.  You don’t need to be a media professional to get involved.  Our activists are people like you and me, we have principles the politicians have ignored for too long and we’re acting on it. 

We’re going to highlight any stories where government is misusing its power to coerce the taxpayer into submission and we’re going to shame those that stand by such abuses of power.  The politicians need to remember they are public servants – in our service.  As such they should start spending our money better and taking less of it.  If not, they can rest assured that TPA activists are now out there holding public bodies to account because, we’re all agreed on this, enough is enough!   

If you want to join the TPA campaign, perhaps even setting up a group in your area or have a story you’d like us to campaign on, then please do contact me. 

Don’t just sit there waiting for change, make it happen!

Tax by another name

The Audit Commission's new 'Positively Charged' report raises some interesting issues today. For the first time it puts a figure on the massive amounts raised by councils through extra charges - on car parking, waste disposal and numerous other services - as a whopping £10.8 billion. To put that in context, it's half as much as they raise in council tax, which demonstrates why this really ought to be a huge issue. The reason it hasn't been so far is that there hasn't been a comprehensive overview of the national picture on charging - until now.


The name of the report, and its pun-tastic Shiny Battery logo (see right) demonstrates that the Audit Commission are big fans of charges. As well as totting up the vast amount raised through charging, the report is peppered with comments about the "benefits" of charges and understanding the "contribution" they make.

The reality is very different.

There is a certain amount to be said for the principle behind the idea that if you use it you should pay for it, replacing a burden on the general taxpayer with a specifically targeted charge to those involved in incurring the cost. The problem is, that is not what is happening on the ground.

Nowhere are charges being used to replace taxes, lighten the load or make taxation fairer. When have you ever heard a council say that they are introducing a bin tax and cutting council tax in return? Never.

Similarly, the bluff can be called by offering to carry out a service yourself instead of paying the charge. South Cambridgeshire Council recently introduced a charge for people who needed new wheelie bins, claiming the £60 fee was for "delivery". They then refused to let people collect the bins themselves for free, exposing the scam for what it was - an extra tax. It will come as no surprise to readers to learn that the money supposedly saved by the introduction of the charge has not been reimbursed in tax cuts for the wider population.

This clearly isn't about reorganising the distribution of weight in the tax system, it is about increasing the overall burden - adding extra charges on top of existing (and constantly growing) taxes. Many councils are increasing council tax by a certain amount and slapping selective charges on top. There is no corresponding reduction offered to the wider taxpayer on the basic rate of council tax.

Worse, some councils are trying to add universal charges on top of council tax - i.e. simply abusing the concept to dress extra council tax up as charges. This is a stealth tax in the full meaning of the word.

Especially now the Government is beginning to realise the damage that can be done to them electorally by public anger about council tax, we can expect to see this cynical approach used more and more. When councils who have been squeezing embarassing sums out of people find their tax capped to limit the rise, they will increasingly turn to charges as a way of continuing to raise tax whilst disguising the fact. It is no coincidence that South Cambridgeshire are one of those councils who have found themselves capped, and are no wheeling and dealing in the field of innovative charges.

The report even quotes an anonymous Finance Director as saying

Without charging there'd be a black hole in our budget

and he's right - but that's the problem, not a justification for the use of stealth taxation. If councils weren't using this route to disguise extra taxation, the true severity of the problem of council tax would be revealed. Politicians would have to face up to the truly unsustainable levels of council tax, as being more than £34bn rather than the £24bn commonly cited. As it is, this cloak and dagger approach is allowing them to pretend the problem isn't as bad as it is.

That is why we are not hailing these charges as the "positive contribution" that the Audit Commission claim. These charges are being abused as a way of hiding extra council tax, and if the AC want charges to be used properly and productively they should have highlighted that abuse and warned against it.

The Department for International Development contradict themselves

Today our study on Hate Education in the Palestinian territories was reported in the Express.  The report included a response from the Department for International Development:

"A spokesman for the Department for International Development said: “We don’t fund the Palestinian Authority directly and therefore don’t fund textbooks."

How strange, on the 11th of July last year they put out a press release titled:

"UK leads the way in resuming direct aid for Palestinian Authority"

The release continued:

"The UK has underlined its support for the Palestinian Authority with a contribution of £3 million to allow it to begin paying off its private sector debts, Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, announced today.

A month after Hamas’ takeover of Gaza and the establishment of a new Government by President Mahmoud Abbas, today’s announcement makes the UK one of the first countries to resume direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority." [emphasis added]

Beyond that, the problem isn't just direct contributions, as the Express notes: "the TaxPayers’ Alliance said that, by funding worthwhile activities, Britain was freeing up funds which could be spent in more sinister areas."

Our report raises serious issues about how the UK contributes to the long-term prospects for an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict.  It makes positive recommendations, modelled on longstanding practice in Northern Ireland, for how our aid money can encourage an end to radicalisation and hate education.  The DFID should look at those recommendations instead of issuing nonsensical rebuttals.

Taking the fight to North Norfolk District and Norfolk County Councils

Within our grassroots campaigns, it’s my aim to have every activist involved at every stage of our campaigns.  From letter writing to leafleting and radio-phone-ins, every bit is as important as the next and yesterday was perhaps the best day of grassroots activism and co-ordination I’ve seen at the TPA.

Here’s how our activists in Norfolk, particularly Tony Flynn, Barbara Lockwood and Tony Callaghan made the difference to a story that will affect the lives of at least 500 taxpayers in North Norfolk:

10am – Barbara Lockwood calls the office informing me about a BBC story detailing how North Norfolk District Council are dispatching the bailiffs to at least 500 taxpayers who can’t (or won’t) pay their Council Tax.

11am – The blog goes up on the TPA website about the story

12am - Emails go out to our Norfolk Activists asking them to lobby their local radio and press about the issue and to get public debates going.

1 – 4pm – Tony Flynn and Tony Callaghan contact numerous radio stations about the issue

5.10pm – BBC Radio Norfolk host a debate on the issue where TPA members discuss how wrong it is for Council’s to send out bailiffs to collect council tax before they tighten their belts and stop wasteful spending.

So in one day, what could probably have been an issue concealed deep in the BBC website achieved widespread coverage across Norfolk.  Now it’s up to us to keep the campaign going.  I’ve written this morning to the Norwich Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press and I encourage you to do the same.

How can it be fair for the council to force their way into taxpayers’ homes and take taxpayers’ possessions when:

• North Norfolk District Council has increased its council tax from £572.13 in 1997 to £1281.81 in 2007;
• North Norfolk District Council spends £600,000 on its own self-congratulatory publicity, an increase of 22% since 1997;
• Norfolk County Council spends £2.5 million on its own propaganda, an increase of 166% since 1997;
• Last November Norfolk County Councillors awarded themselves a shocking 28% pay increase!

Please make this point to the local papers by sending letters to:

The Eastern Daily Press - EDPLetters@archant.co.uk
Norwich Evening News - EveningNewsEditor@archant.co.uk

Please feel free to send your letters into any other Norfolk Newspaper.  It’s injustices like these when real people feel the weight of the council come crashing down on them that we have to stand up to.  Government, both local and national, is meant to be a public service, in the service of the taxpayer not a high-and-mighty power to bully us into filling their pockets.

Hain's SpAds caught using public funds for partisan campaigning

A major role of the TaxPayers' Alliance is scrutinising the Government and the public sector to make sure taxpayers' money is spent properly and is not being abused and wasted. We regularly write to Ministers and public officials to enquire about different programmes and activities. One particularly brazen example of the abuse of public money has come to our attention - and we have written today to Sir Gus O'Donell, the Cabinet Secretary, and Sir Leigh Lewis, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Work and Pensions, to complain.

A press release [enclosed in full at the foot of this page] emerged from the Department of Work and Pensions yesterday that promises more grief for beleaguered Work and Pensions Minister Peter Hain, who has already been branded "incompetent" by the Prime Minister. Special Advisers in his department have been caught red-handed breaking the rules on ethics and propriety and abusing their position to use civil service resources for the purposes of partisan political campaigning.

At 10.21am on Tuesday 15th January a Special Adviser in the DWP used their departmental email address to issue a press release entitled "TORIES AIM TO DESTROY FINAL SALARY PENSION SCHEMES", a diatribe accusing the Opposition of setting out to "destroy the best pension schemes in Britain" and telling the electorate:

"if you are in a final salary pension scheme, don't ever vote Tory or they would destroy it."

Setting aside the unwise commitment of the Government to unsustainable final salary pensions, this is a shocking email.

SpAds are expressly forbidden by the Code of Conduct from using their position for party political campaigning:

6. Special advisers should not use official resources for party political activity. They are employed to serve the objectives of the Government and the Department in which they work. It is this which justifies their being paid from public funds and being able to use public resources, and explains why their participation in party politics is carefully limited. They should act in a way which upholds the political impartiality of civil servants and does not conflict with the Civil Service Code. They should avoid anything which might reasonably lead to the criticism that people paid from public funds are being used for party political purposes.

And if that wasn't clear enough it is restated later:

10. Special advisers are able to represent Ministers' views on Government policy to the media with a degree of political commitment that would not be possible for the permanent Civil Service. Briefing on purely party political matters must be handled by the Party machine.

This press release is clearly not "representing Ministers' views on Government policy" - its topic is a Minister's view on Conservative policy laid out in a speech by David Cameron. The whole document focuses on attacking the policies of the Opposition, even mentioning the Opposition 10 times in 13 sentences.

If the DWP's Ministers want to campaign against Tory policies and instruct voters how to vote at the next general election, they have to use Labour Party resources to do it. Taxpayers do not want to pay for political parties' election campaigning - and yet this press release makes no attempt to hide that it does just that. It is a barefaced abuse of taxpayers' money to persuade people how to vote in an election based on criticising Opposition policy - not something SpAds, Civil Servants or anyone else on the public payroll should be doing.

DWP PRESS RELEASE

From: Special-Advisers DWP [mailto:Special-Advisers@dwp.gsi.gov.uk]
Sent: 15 January 2008 10:21
To: MOS-PR DWP
Subject: RE: FOR IMMEDIATE USE: Tories aim to destroy final salary pension schemes
Importance: High

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
TORIES AIM TO DESTROY FINAL SALARY PENSION SCHEMES

Commenting on yesterday's proposals by David Cameron to close public service final salary pension schemes – not just the scheme for MPs – Pensions Minister Mike O'Brien QC MP said:

"The Conservative Party plans to get rid of public sector

final salary pensions, thereby destroying the best pension schemes in Britain.

"This would send a signal to the employers of hundreds of thousands of workers who remain in final salary pension schemes that the Conservatives don't care about them and are prepared to reduce their income in retirement.

"This should serve as a warning: if you are in a final salary pension scheme, don't ever vote Tory or they would destroy it.

"Although the numbers in final salary schemes have declined from 8 million in the 1960s to around 3 million now, many workers in the private sector remain in final salary schemes.

"In the 1980s, the Tories allowed employers pension contribution holidays and there were mis-selling scandals, and these resulted in deficits. Many employers left the schemes to avoid those deficits.

"In the new Pensions Bill, Labour has just introduced deregulatory measures to encourage employers to remain in these gold-standard schemes. Only a few weeks ago, the Tories claimed to welcome these, and wanted us to go further to keep defined benefit schemes.

"Mr Cameron's announcement that they plan to end final salary schemes for public sector workers sends the wrong signal. It shows they have learnt nothing from the mistakes of the last Tory government.

"The Tories have understood nothing and learnt nothing about pensions."

ENDS

For further information, please call DWP Special Advisers on 020 3267 XXXX

Ugly Government

“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people”

If only…

TPA Activist Barbara Lockwood contacted me this morning about a council tax story she’d heard on local Norfolk radio. After a little investigation, we found this disgraceful example of tyrannical government:

“Bailiffs are to crack down on at least 500 people who failed to pay council tax and business rates. North Norfolk District Council said bailiffs were prepared to take possession of goods and property unless debtors arranged to pay what they owed. "Those being targeted have had at least four chances to pay," a spokesman said.

"They will have goods or property seized and sold at auction to collect a total of £616,000 unpaid council tax or business rates," he said.”

You can read the rest of the story here.

Compare these figures for a moment: North Norfolk District Council spent £600,000 on its publicity in 2007, an increase of 22% in the last ten years.  Council Tax has gone up by 100% in the last ten years.  And councils still want more. 

North Norfolk District Council is abusing its power to invade YOUR property, to take YOUR possessions all in order to pay off £600,000 of council tax it claims is owed.  It's first duty is to ensure services are delivered at as little cost to the taxpayer as possible.  It's response should be to cut spending on publicity and council perks, not sending in bully boys to threaten and frighten pensioners.

So if you are in North Norfolk and are making a stand against the Council, who by this one example of publicity spending are squandering too much of your money, contact me so we can rally TPA supports and activists to join you in protest. It’s time we told government to buck their ideas up and back off!

How British taxpayers are funding hate education and violence in the Middle East

In the first of a series of papers analysing the effectiveness of expenditure on overseas aid, the TaxPayers Alliance has published a paper looking at the effects of British aid spending in the Palestinian territories. Funding Hate Education reveals disturbing evidence showing how British taxpayers’ money has been spent helping to fund hate education and promote violence in the Middle East. The full report can be read here (PDF, 6MB)

Matthew Sinclair, the author of the report and a policy analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“With moves towards a peace settlement at Annapolis and an American Presidential visit to Israel, there is real hope that a peace deal can be reached.  In order for a deal to stick over the long term, however, it is essential that the Palestinian population fully accepts it.  This is why it is particularly concerning that British aid is supporting the radicalisation of the Palestinian population, particularly the children.”

Funding Hate Education shows that part of the £47.5 million of British aid to Palestine is supporting:

• Textbooks that praise insurgents in Iraq, argue for the execution of apostates and idealise martyrdom.
• Television broadcasts, many aimed at children, that urge violence against non-Muslims and promote the view that Israel should not exist.

Matthew Sinclair continued:

“The future of the peace process in Israel and Palestine depends at least as much on positive attitudes among young Palestinians as it does on success at the negotiating table.  British taxpayers’ money is supporting the radicalisation of Palestinian youth and hurting our objectives in the region.  This needs to, and can, change.”

David Lidington MP, Shadow Foreign Office Minister, said:

“I was disturbed to read the findings within the Taxpayers’ Alliance report, ‘Funding Hate’. It is imperative that future generations, wherever they are, are taught a message of reconciliation and mutual understanding. I have contacted both the Palestinian representative in London and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to discuss the issues the Taxpayers Alliance has raised.”

Patrick Mercer OBE MP said:

"It worries me deeply that British taxpayers' money is being used, quite improperly, for destructive purpose.  Whilst aid needs to be directed to the needy, its abuse for terrorist purposes is grotesque."

MEP Hannu Takkula, Vice-Chairman Committee on Culture and Education at the European Parliament, said:

“The right to education is one of children's fundamental rights. I should emphasize that this includes right to a hate-free educational system. Since the European Union is financially supporting the Palestinian administration including the educational system, it has to ensure that the values taught to these kids correspond to the fundamental values of Europe itself. We, MEPs and European citizens, must ask for more accountability on one hand and for less incitement on the other hand."

TPA Protest at Barnet County Court

This morning a group of dedicated low-tax campaigners descended on Barnet County Courthouse to support TPA activist Rick Stratton in his bid to get justice over his council tax bills.  Rick’s case revolves around Hertsmere Council demanding council tax on a property they declared as “unfit for human habitation”, a sum running into the thousands of pounds Rick just can’t afford.  I doubt that even our over-paid council bureaucrats could afford a lump sum payment were they issued it, despite how overpaid they are.  But, in the current system, it’s one rule for them and one rule for the taxpayer.  The Council declared the property unfit for human habitation and yet still want thousands of pounds in tax from Rick.

Our morning began in a rather sinister fashion.  Literally as soon as we left the station, we were met by a couple of police officers (see left).  Apparently they got a tip off from someone about the protest and it ‘necessitated’ a continuous police presence throughout.  What rubbish!  The police surely have better things to do than marshal a dozen activists politely protesting against the injustices handed out by the greedy state.  Needless to say, passers by were less than amused that we were being monitored by the police, which brought us even more attention and support.

In another shocking twist, Rick told us after his case was heard that the court had switched judges at the last moment, apparently aware of the protest outside.  As they gave no reason why, we can only assume the first judge would have seen sense and rectified the huge bill imposed by Hertsmere Council.  Moreover, the court authorities barred a journalist from the Hendon Times from sitting in on the proceedings.  So first they had the police on permanent surveillance of our protest, next they conducted the proceedings in secret.  Some democracy…

Rick here explains the result, and it isn’t pleasant:

So, pay your council tax, year on year – no matter how much it goes up – or the council take your house!!   It’s that simple and ruthless.

On a brighter note, all throughout the morning passers-by came to join our protest, one gentleman demanding to hold a placard in support of lower taxes.  An elderly couple joined us for around an hour, boosting our numbers and showing that although a TPA protest may start off as a humble event, it will end with more people participating, taking notice and spreading the word for lower taxes.

By the end of the morning we had distributed well over 250 TPA leaflets, as well as attracting enough car ‘honks’ to show overwhelming support for lower taxes.  The politicos in Westminster may think tax cuts aren’t popular.  But they should do what I did today and go and meet the people and get their views.  The people are saying with one loud, clear voice that they are overtaxed and are becoming increasingly impatient as our politicians fail to act.

But it is one thing knowing the virtue of our arguments; we still could have had more people out in support.  Never forget the value our action has to our other activists.  Yes we are always promoting the low-tax cause.  But we are also standing with people the state is trying to bleed dry.  There’s a human element to our action that reinforces our campaigns.  Put simply: tax cuts ease the burden the state imposes on ordinary people who just want the government to back off and let them live their lives. 

Here Rick tells us why you should get involved in our campaign.  If you want to organise a protest or leaflet action day in your borough, contact me today so we can prepare and invite people to come along.  So until the next time we take to the streets to build the majority for lower taxes, I shall leave you with Rick’s wise words…

Dispatches from the front line

What a great start to the New Year the TaxPayers’ Alliance is having.  Over the Christmas and New Year period, when we publicised our Christmas Tax and Non-Job reports, we managed to recruit 35 new activists.  Activists differ from supporters because they are committed to recruiting, campaigning and promoting the TPA and lower taxes, voluntarily giving their time and energy to the cause.  Our activists are the seeds of our future grassroots growth, so thank you to all those who have signed up as TPA activists.  If you wish to sign up as a TPA Activist you can register here, contribute or contact me directly to get involved.

One activist in particular became our 500th TPA Activist.  His name is Kevin Taylor from Omagh and is busy recruiting to form a branch in County Tyrone.  Congratulations to Kevin on helping us reach this milestone in our grassroots development.  Now it’s up to our TPA activists to get recruiting so that we can congratulate our 1000th activist in the not too distant future.  Just think, if every activist recruited only one activist, we could reach 1000 activists in no time at all!

The Christmas season also didn’t stop our activists recruiting in our 10 Friends Challenge.  Evelyn Brazier, who, when she joined, recruited 25 of her friends and neighbours, signed up another 10 taxpayers to the TPA.  Jessica Blossom recruited 10 more supporters in Sussex and London and Ivy Newman has helped us build our membership in North London.

Keep up the excellent work, everyone.  We have a big task ahead of us to secure those essential tax cuts, but with the public behind us we have every chance of success.  Also keep an eye out on the website tomorrow with the announcement of the first TaxPayers’ Alliance protest for lower taxes.  2008 promises to be a big year for the TaxPayers’ Alliance grassroots campaign!

Wandering into the firing line

Stephen Carter, Gordon Brown's new Principal Special Advisor, may be familiar to assiduous students of TPA campaigns.

Back in November, when we launched the 2007 Public Sector Rich List, Mr Carter came in at Number 32 with a stonking remuneration package of almost £400,000. Having come under fire, he defended himself in the Sunday Times by claiming “I am on the TaxPayers’ Alliance hitlist".

The Carter paranoia complex can only have been further fuelled, then, by the fact that we have been prominent today in criticising his £137,000 salary as Gordon's latest spin doctor. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure Mr Carter that it's not a personal vendetta against him per se, and there is a sure fire way of making sure we never have to criticise him again: stop costing the taxpayer so much money.

Councillor to vote for lower taxes!

It’s that time of year again, when we hear of our council tax and other local taxes going up and up.  Yet we’re seeing more and more elected representatives standing up for the taxpayer and committing themselves to fighting against tax increases.  First we reported how Hammersmith and Fulham council are cutting council tax for the second year running.  Now TPA activist Cllr Neil Martin of Wembury Parish Council explains here why he will be voting against his local Parish Precept increase at tonight’s Parish Council meeting:

“Currently, I serve as a member of a fairly well off parish council in Devon. Last year, I promised to vote against any rise in our precept and to produce an alternative budget. Although we’ve got few real responsibilities and are at the bottom of the council tax food chain - with the district and county councils, police and fire service all getting in on the act - the only way to demonstrate that services can be provided for a lower cost is to start at the very bottom where people can see things, especially as parish councils are the only tier of local government that is funded wholly by local taxpayers.

However, this isn’t just about high falutin’ principles that I can discard until the next election: it’s a question of efficiency and good budget management.  In common with other parish councils, we’ve got pretty hefty reserves, and we don’t have any major projects planned.  If we were a larger council, questions would be asked - if we were a private company, we’d be giving money back to the shareholders.  We’re in a position to levy a precept of getting on for zero and still have the money to run things for a year: even including an increase in staff costs.

Staffing costs are another issue altogether: here in Devon national pay scales increase costs way beyond comparable jobs locally. This is at a very local level admittedly - I’m not pretending this is a major part of the council tax - but it’s something that will resonate with people in rural areas who wonder why they pay loads and don’t seem to get very much. In a way, we’re lucky that it can even be considered- people in urban areas don’t come close to this kind of relationship with how their money is spent.

So, with families facing rising costs everywhere, and with money in the bank, I will be voting against any precept rise and in favour of a cut.

Cllr. Neil Martin
Wembury Parish Council”

Cllr Martin raises some very good points TPA activists should be asking their district, town and parish councils.  How hefty are their reserves?  Where can savings be made, leading to cuts in the future?  These questions need to be answered so we can hold to account any council that increases taxes.

If you’re an elected councillor, of any party, and you’re making a bold stand against tax hikes, then do get in touch with me so we can publicise your fight for taxpayers and show the depth of support for tax cuts in the country.