The £600 billion problem awaiting the next government podcastWe speak to David Gauke and Giles Wilkes, two experts who have been at the heart of the spending review process.25 April 2024
Be the Chancellor Our interactive tool lets you be the Chancellor. Change spending plans, set tax policies and see how your choices impact borrowing and debt.
Should we worry about government debt? podcastDavid Miles joins us to discuss high government debt and its impact on the economy. 11 April 2024
IFS Annual Lecture - Innovation and productivity policies: a budgetary perspective event 15 May 2024 Professor Heidi Williams (Dartmouth College) will deliver the 2024 IFS Annual Lecture on innovation and productivity policies.
Higher Education Access and Funding: challenges and policy options conference 14 May 2024 This one-day academic conference will look at access to and funding of Higher Education systems.
Jobs landing pageAt IFS, we recruit and train top-quality economists and professional support staff. We aim to foster a respectful and inclusive working environment.20 July 2022
Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy The Research Centre at the heart of IFS is the CPP.
The IFS Scottish Budget Report – 2024–25 Report This report looks at the key budgetary and public service issues for the Scottish Government for the 2024–25 financial year and beyond. 22 February 2024
Are councils in crisis? Podcast Why are local councils facing funding pressures? What can government do to help them? 14 February 2024
Scottish Budget: Tax and spending in 2024–25 Report The Scottish Government is raising taxes on the 5% highest-income Scots, but health funding is, on current plans, set to fall in real terms next year. 6 February 2024
Scottish Budget: The medium-term outlook and choices Report Devolved income tax revenues are forecast to boost the Scottish Government’s funding over the next five years, but many services could still see cuts. 6 February 2024
Taxing rented and owner-occupied housing Presentation This presentation was given at a Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) seminar on 16 January 2024. 23 January 2024
Assessing the Welsh Government’s consultation on reforms to council tax Report We analyse the impact of the possible approaches to council tax reform set out in the Welsh Government’s consultation on ‘A fairer council tax’. 14 November 2023
Revaluation and reform of Welsh council tax should proceed without delay Comment We analyse the impact of the possible approaches to council tax reform set out in the Welsh Government’s consultation on ‘A fairer council tax’. 14 November 2023
What are the options for devolved funding? Presentation This presentation looks at the issues and options for the Scottish Government’s funding, arguing that radical change requires reform in England too. 19 September 2023
British tax system is in need of reform Comment "There are few corners of the British tax system that are not in urgent need of repair." Isaac Delestre writes for Taxation. 15 September 2023
Scottish council tax proposals are a small step in the right direction but duck the biggest issue: revaluation Comment Proposed reforms to council tax in Scotland would further reduce regressivity but should go further, and the issue of revaluation is ducked yet again. 11 September 2023
Tax and public finances: the fundamentals Report This report highlights 10 key facts about UK tax and public finance policy that will underpin the choices faced by governments in coming decades. 23 August 2023
A forward look on finance Presentation This LGA 2023 Annual Conference presentation sets out the broad economic and fiscal context and the funding and policy outlook for local government. 5 July 2023
Design of partial population experiments with an application to spillovers in tax compliance Working Paper We develop a framework to conduct experiments for estimating direct and spillover effects when units are grouped into mutually exclusive clusters. 24 April 2023
Freeports: What are they? What do we know? And what will we know? Report This report analyses the rationale for Freeports and what we can learn about their potential impact from past policies and a planned evaluation. 10 March 2023
Freeports and Investment Zones – what sorts of things should we consider when assessing whether they are good policy? Comment We discuss the economic issues central to whether Freeports and Investment Zones are a good idea. 10 March 2023
Scottish Budget 2023–24: further analysis Report The aim of this report is to look at some of the key implications of the Scottish Budget for the coming year, and for the longer term. 17 February 2023
We can live with higher taxes but only if we secure serious reforms Comment “If tax is to stay high it is more important than ever that the tax system is both equitable and efficient.” Paul Johnson in The Times. 21 November 2022
IFS Green Budget 2022 Report The IFS Green Budget 2022 takes stock of the economic and fiscal outlook following Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget and analyses the challenges ahead. 11 October 2022
Kwasi Kwarteng homes in on the right problems, but solutions don’t add up Comment Paul Johnson writes in The Times on the impact of Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-Budget policies. 26 September 2022
Mini-Budget response Comment The Chancellor announced the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years without even a semblance of an effort to make the public finance numbers add up. 23 September 2022
