The Meade Report After Two Years

<p>The direct tax structure of the UK has grown by continuous accretion since its principal elements were set out by Addington in 1803. The government has never undertaken a fundamental reappraisal of the basis of direct taxation: the Meade Report was an attempt to make up for this government failure. In this article, I try to assess the objectives and success of the exercise, and take the opportunity to reply to some criticisms of it.</p>