Tuesday December 18

Click here to read the TPA's Christmas Tax report.

Blogs

5.20pm, Campaign
Mark Wallace:
Newspeak takes hold

When people must pretend that closed police stations are open, when "care" is for many synonymous with "abuse" and when "No" votes are interpreted as meaning "yes", it is clear that Newspeak is the new language of the political class, and it is strangling our democracy... - Read More

2.40pm, Burning Our Money
Mike Denham:
Pensions Black Holes

All of us sympathise with the 130,000 people who lost all or part of their pensions when their companies went bust up to 2003. And all of us can see that they were grossly misled by that stream of official assurances that their final salary pensions were safe (see here for Mail's campaign). But as taxpayers, we need to be quite clear about one thing: once again we're being forced to pay for clearing up a pensions mess largely created by our rulers - Read More

10.10am, Better Government
Matt Sinclair:
They're busy with lightbulbs

The bureaucratic procedure attached to the simple act of clearing up a broken lightbulb is more important than it might seem.  It is important because it demonstrates just how unwieldy the procedures are becoming in too much of the public sector for even the most basic of task - Read More

9.10am, ConservativeHome.com
Mark Wallace:
Transparent Public Spending

Following the launch of USAspending.gov, the TPA's Campaign Director argues Britain should follow America's lead in transparent public spending policies... - Read More

News Round-up

Prison for those failing to safeguard records

Civil servants face being jailed for gross failures to safeguard citizens’ personal information under a clampdown following the disappearance of two discs that held the child benefit records of 25 million people...Government sources told The Times that the offence of wilfully abusing data could carry a maximum term of two years’ imprisonment rather than a fine under plans being considered. - The Times

Tax fraud chief sacked after hiring wife

A senior official responsible for prosecuting people for tax fraud has been sacked after hiring his wife as a £550-a-day consultant. David Partridge, the chief operating officer of HM Revenue and Customs prosecutions office, had his contract terminated last summer following an inquiry into the employment of his wife, Michaela. Mr Partridge's office is in charge of prosecuting tax fraud and other major cases such as drug smuggling and money laundering and his dismissal will add to the concerns over management accountability at Revenue and Customs. - Daily Telegraph

Media Coverage

- PM Gordon's a Scrooge

EVERY family will hand over £225 to the taxman when they go Christmas shopping this year. PM Gordon Brown will rake in a record £5.65billion in VAT on goods ranging from booze to iPhones and even crackers. Only books, food and children’s clothes are exempt. The scale of festive tax is revealed in a study by the Taxpayers’ Alliance. - The Sun

- The Sun Says: Taxing Times

THE taxman will take £5.65billion in VAT on our Christmas shopping this year, says the watchdog Taxpayers’ Alliance. But Chancellor Alistair Darling won’t be counting his chickens... - The Sun

- Brown tax on Christmas

FAMILIES will be hit by an average £225 stealth tax bill this Christmas, it was claimed yesterday...The £225 average family Christmas tax bill was calculated by the TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group. Mike Denham, a former Treasury economist and author of the report, said: “While Santa Claus is coming down the chimney, Gordon Brown is sneaking through the back door and taking the presents from under the tree.” - Daily Express

- MPs' guide to clearing up broken light bulbs

MPS have been issued with a 10-point guide on what to do if they find a broken light bulb in Parliament...A spokesman for the Taxpayers' Alliance said the guidelines were "ridiculous'' and a waste of time. He said: "MPs are public servants paid for using public money - have they really nothing better to do than sit around writing guidelines on how to use a dustpan and brush? Politicians are living on another planet. We pay good money into the Government coffers and the very least we expect is good value in return.'' - Daily Telegraph