Government is a game of two halves — the spending half and the taxing half. If the latter isn’t pretty much as big as the former then in the long run we’ll be in trouble. To fund all the schools and hospitals, police and armed forces, roads and pensions, we pay more than £600bn in tax each year. That’s about £4 in every £10 generated by the economy.
The tax half really ought to get as much attention from policymakers, parliament and the public as the spending half. If you are going to take that much money from people and businesses, you are going to have quite an effect on their incomes, their behaviour and their welfare. But tax is different. While other bits of government have strategy papers, white papers and green papers by the bucketful, no recent government has set out a proper tax strategy.
Authors
![Paul Johnson](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-11/Paul%20J%202022%20Official%20portrait_0.jpg?itok=JAN23N1X)
Director
Paul has been the Director of the IFS since 2011. He is also currently visiting professor in the Department of Economics at University College London.
Comment details
- Publisher
- Prospect Publishing
Suggested citation
Johnson, P. (2014). A mess, and getting worse [Comment] Prospect Publishing. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/mess-and-getting-worse (accessed: 2 July 2024).
More from IFS
Understand this issue
![Microphone](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Microphone.jpg?itok=soM7Wvbz)
Election Special: Your questions answered
27 June 2024
![Tom Waters](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/tom%20waters.jpg?itok=faDtwS3F)
What is the two-child limit in benefits?
27 June 2024
![Interview](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/1.jpg?itok=mjderngL)
Election Special: The big issues politicians haven't spoken about
25 June 2024
Policy analysis
![Welsh town with mountains behind](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Welsh-town-feature.jpg?itok=5axb5wZn)
How would the parties’ tax and spending plans affect Scotland and Wales?
28 June 2024
![Polling station](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Polling-station-school.jpg?itok=uS-l6b-1)
What are the parties’ plans for benefits and taxes?
24 June 2024
![Ambulance and police car](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Ambulance-and-police-car.jpg?itok=RMgHb2lX)
How should we interpret parties’ public spending pledges this election?
23 June 2024
Academic research
![Journal cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-01/Review%20of%20Economics%20and%20Statistics.jpg?itok=17sKhTtl)
Intertemporal income shifting and the taxation of business owner-managers
24 January 2024
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2023-11/WP202333-Insurance-redistribution-and-the-inequality-of-lifetime-income_Page_01.jpg?itok=R5jXnKQm)
Insurance, redistribution, and the inequality of lifetime income
2 November 2023
![Working paper cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-03/WP202405-The-menopause-penalty.jpg?itok=EMllthlH)
The menopause "penalty"
18 March 2024