Public finance

In Paul's final episode, he speaks with incoming IFS Director Helen Miller about the big economic pressures facing the UK.

We provide concrete recommendations to improve the UK pension system to secure better standards of living for future pensioners.

Changes proposed in the fabled Green Book review could end up being highly consequential and tell us how the government is thinking — which worries me

The chancellor has pledged an extra £1.2 billion annually for FE by 2028-29. But will this be enough to reverse a decade of cuts?

The next few years are going to be very tight for school budgets and forecasting anything more than a real-terms freeze is highly optimistic.

We take a closer look at the Spending Review and what the policies mean for public services, investment and the wider economy. 

Rachel Reeves is to allocate between competing priorities with her spending review, and a 2.5 per cent rise for health could mean cuts elsewhere

Spending Review 2025 will set detailed departmental budgets for most of this parliament. We examine the key choices facing the government.

Updated forecasts for tax revenues and benefit spending imply a more challenging funding outlook for the Scottish Government.

The 'Be the Chancellor' tool, built by IFS researchers in partnership with Nesta, illustrates key choices and fiscal challenges Rachel Reeves faces.

The rise of Reform and the Greens is healthy for democracy, but not if their manifestos are sheer fantasy 

Rachel Reeves should consider increasing the basic rate, just as Denis Healey did in 1975 

OBR productivity growth forecasts have historically been over-optimistic: a downgrade to the OBR's forecast could cause a real fiscal headache.

At this online event IFS researchers will present their initial analysis of the Chancellor's Spring Statement.

What were the decisions and trade-offs made by Chancellor Reeves?

Debt is forecast to stabilise by 2027-28, meeting the debt rule by a narrow margin of £15 billion.

Debt interest spending is forecast to remain at twice the level it was prior to the pandemic.

Taxes as a share of national income are set to rise above 37%, their highest-ever share.

The OBR forecasts weaker growth this year, but expect a bounce-back to prior expectations by 2030.