Our goal at the Institute for Fiscal Studies is to promote effective
economic and social policies by better understanding how policies affect
individuals, families, businesses and the government's finances.
By 2024−25, after accounting for the specific costs facing schools, we estimate that school spending per pupil will still be 3% lower than in 2010.
Read our analysis so far of policy announcements made by Conservative leadership contenders Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.
Conservative candidates’ tax plans are increasingly similar, though still differ in scale and timing
The key point that neither candidate seems willing to spell out is that, ultimately, lower taxes mean lower spending.
We use data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study to assess the impact long COVID has on labour market outcomes including hours, earnings and employment.
Events
Upcoming event
| Date | 16 August 2022 | 10:00 - 11:30 |
| Location | Online only |
| Availablity | Places available |
Education is one of the most important predictors of people's life chances, shaping outcomes like work and pay, health, and wealth. At this online event, our panel will look at what aspects of the education system make the most difference to inequality and what policymakers can do if they want to build a more equal education system.
Upcoming event
| Date | 06 September 2022 | 18:30 - 20:00 |
| Location | One Birdcage Walk, London |
| Availablity | Places available |
We’re pleased to announce that Baroness Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science, will give the 2022 IFS Annual Lecture.
Upcoming event
| Date | 22 - 23 September 2022 | 09:00 - 18:00 |
| Location | Washington D.C., USA |
| Availablity | Places available |
Inequality is one of the global challenges of our times. This phenomenon is increasingly cross-border in nature and suffers from a lack of data. What is the role of fiscal policy in dealing with this challenge, both internationally and domestically? Can new data sources inform the debate?
Older articles
We assess the implications of Rishi Sunak's plan to remove the 5% VAT charged on household energy bills.
Today, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published new public finance data for the month of June, which will include an estimate of the cost of servicing the government’s debt.
On 5 September we will know which of the two is the next Conservative Party leader - and therefore Prime Minister - so their visions for tax and spending matter.
The government has announced pay rises for public sector workers covered by independent pay review bodies. This includes the police, teachers and the NHS.
A failure to properly account for population in Welsh councils’ Shared Prosperity Fund allocations is costing larger councils millions of pounds.
Whether it is before the summer parliamentary recess or in the autumn, the government must eventually make some choices about what pay increases to offer workers in the NHS, schools, police, and beyond.
News and announcements
Working papers
IFS Working Paper W22/29
IFS Working Paper W22/27