<p>The UK tax and Benefit system has developed over the last century in a fairly haphazard manner. Reforms to one section are introduced, with the best of intentions, which cause undesirable effects in other parts or which achieve the aims of those introducing them in an inefficient manner. This article examines just one such development-the advantageous tax treatment of the elderly.</p>
Authors
C N Morris
Journal article details
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1475-5890.1981.tb00468.x
- ISSN
- Print: 0143-5671 Online: 1475-5890
- Issue
- November 1981
Suggested citation
Morris, C. (1981). 'The age allowance' (1981)
More from IFS
Understand this issue
Social care is the nightmare that won’t go away
A government with a big majority should have had the political will to do more than just set up another review.
6 January 2025
How is tax damaging the housing market?
We discuss how taxes like capital gains, stamp duty, and council tax impact the housing market, affecting affordability, renting, and homeownership.
18 December 2024
Why did the French Budget fail to pass?
France’s failed budget highlights fundamental challenges with public debt, slow growth, and the need for significant reforms.
12 December 2024
Policy analysis
Funding per student in further education colleges, sixth-form colleges and school sixth forms
Rising student numbers and inflationary pressures mean that funding per student has not increased significantly beyond 2019–20 levels.
13 January 2025
Spending per student in 16–18 colleges and sixth forms (actual and projected for 2025–26)
Increased funding from the last government only partially offsets the cuts to 16–18 education of the previous decade.
13 January 2025
Share of 25- to 34-year-olds living with parents up by over a third since the mid 2000s
The rise in people living with their parents has been concentrated among those in their late 20s and varies substantially by ethnicity.
11 January 2025
Academic research
Changing inequalities in Europe and North America: part two
This special issue is the second in a two-part series on the evolution of labour market and disposable income inequalities over recent decades.
2 October 2024
Persistent low inequality despite compositional shifts in Austria
Income inequality in Austria is moderate and has been stable in recent years. Yet, employment statistics reveal inequality trends in the labour market
2 October 2024
Did Belgium withstand the storm of rising inequalities? Income inequality in Belgium, 1985–2020
Belgium exhibits a rather constant level of income inequality over the last decades, contrary to Germany, the United States and some Nordic countries.
2 October 2024