Government finances and spending

In its upcoming Resource Spending Review, the Scottish Government will have to choose between spending cuts, tax rises, or hoping for extra UK government funding.

Initial analysis of the Chancellor's statement on the cost of living crisis.

Last month the government finally announced how its replacement for EU regional development funding – the Shared Prosperity Fund – will be allocated across the country.

The government is consulting on whether to introduce an online sales tax to pay for a reduction in business rates. Would that be a good idea? How might it work in practice, and what would be the effects on businesses, consumers and the high street?

It is disappointing that the UK government has ‘taken back control’ only to stick to an arbitrary, poorly designed, out-of-date funding allocation mechanism.

At the end of February, the government announced the most significant reform to the student loans system in England since at least 2012.

The source of top incomes, who gets them and how they are taxed is important for understanding inequalities. How have top incomes and their source been changing over time? Who is in the top 1% - are they employees, or business owners or rentiers? How much tax do the top pay and should they pay more?

Leveraging the 2016 demonetisation in India, this article shows that areas that were more impacted by the policy, experienced faster growth in electronic payments and, in turn, average sales reported to the tax authority increased.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak responded to the OBR's latest economic and fiscal forecast on Wednesday 23 March. IFS researchers presented their initial analysis of the Chancellor's announcements on the public finances at a live-streamed press briefing the following day.

Pre-Spring Statement Presentation

The allocation of public spending is one the most direct levers for ‘levelling up’ health, wealth and well-being. But is policy aligned with the government’s stated aims?