<p>Efficiency savings alone won't be enough to sort out the UK's massive deficit and there will have to be cuts in the quality and/or quantity of public services coupled with cuts to welfare benefits and increases in tax, write Rowena Crawford and Carl Emmerson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. </p><p></p>
Authors

Deputy Director
Carl, a Deputy Director, is an editor of the IFS Green Budget, an expert on the UK pension system and sits on the Social Security Advisory Committee.

Report details
- Publisher
- Public Service
Suggested citation
Crawford, R and Emmerson, C. (2010). The axe is coming soon and it will hurt, warns the IFS. London: Public Service. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/axe-coming-soon-and-it-will-hurt-warns-ifs (accessed: 23 June 2025).
Related documents
More from IFS
Understand this issue

What's gone wrong in the Crown Courts?
Delays in serious court cases are at record highs. We ask why the Crown Court backlog is growing—and if more money alone can solve it.
19 June 2025

Drastic times need drastic action: breaking the 50-year tax taboo
Rachel Reeves should consider increasing the basic rate, just as Denis Healey did in 1975
14 April 2025

Spring Statement 2025: IFS Zooms In
What were the decisions and trade-offs made by Chancellor Reeves?
27 March 2025
Policy analysis

Council tax hikes will do the heavy lifting
IFS Senior Research Economist Kate Ogden writes in Municipal Journal about what the 2025 Spending Review will mean for public services and councils.
17 June 2025

Popularity of new childcare entitlements could leave spending much higher than initially forecast
New childcare entitlements have proven popular – meaning spending from 2026 onwards could be £1 billion higher than originally forecast.
12 June 2025

Spending Review 2025
Find our analysis, events and more surrounding the 2025 Spending Review here.
11 June 2025
Academic research

Future challenges for health and social care provision in the UK
We consider recent trends in health and social care productivity and the scope for future improvements.
6 June 2025

The future of public pension provision in the UK: challenges and trade-offs
The UK state pension system faces significant challenges given the country’s ageing population, but it is crucial for retirement finances.
6 June 2025

Do work search requirements work? Evidence from a UK reform targeting single parents
1 February 2023