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Why we need to reform inheritance tax
podcast
We discuss the issues with inheritance tax and how to reform it.
6 December 2023
The Autumn Statement 2023 explained in 90 seconds
explainer
Paul Johnson responds to Jeremy Hunt's 2023 Autumn Statement.
22 November 2023
Cake or biscuit? The UK's byzantine VAT system explained
podcast
This week, we dive into the oddities of the VAT system.
16 November 2023
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Guides, manuals, software and more Fiscal facts: public finances, tax and benefits
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Education spending: an engine for levelling-up?
event 11 December 2023
The launch of the 2023 IFS Annual Report on Education Spending in England, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Social mobility and wealth
conference 12 December 2023
At this in-person event, IFS researchers will share findings from ESRC-funded research on social mobility and its drivers.
Where next for the state pension?
event 13 December 2023
At this online event, IFS researchers will present findings from a major new report on the future of the state pension in the UK.
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Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy
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The ESRC has funded a research centre at IFS since 1991, recognised as a global centre of excellence and now with UKRI Research Institute status.
15 July 2022
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At 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
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Government finances and spending

Our research covers a wide range of topics related to businesses and their investments, including firm productivity,

Showing 41 – 60 of 1904 results

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

Time to scrap the English NHS Bursary

Comment

The NHS bursary is a needless subsidy for high-earning former medical students. Now would be an excellent time to scrap it.

14 September 2023

Persevering with the autumn statement just generates confusion

Comment

Bi-annual fiscal events "have become an engine for an over-proliferation of measures, generating instability and confusion." Paul Johnson in the Times

11 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

The triple lock: uncertainty for pension incomes and the public finances

Report

The pensions triple lock has increased state pension spending and creates uncertainty for current and future generations of pensioners.

8 September 2023

A look under the hood of Labour’s investment plans

Comment

Labour have promised £28 billion of green investment per year by the second half of the next parliament. £20 billion of this would be ‘additional’.

5 September 2023

Implications of the NHS workforce plan

Report

The NHS workforce plan aims for a large expansion in health service staffing. We examine the potential implications for NHS funding.

30 August 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

Higher oil & gas revenues boost Scotland’s underlying fiscal position – but a big deficit remains

Comment

Scotland’s notional fiscal deficit fell by £6 billion (3.8% of GDP) in 2022–23, but was – and is set to remain – much higher than the UK’s.

16 August 2023

Levelling Up: Is inequality between places Britain’s biggest problem?

Podcast

Since 2019, 'levelling up' has been at the forefront of the political agenda - but is inequality between places really Britain’s biggest problem?

16 August 2023

How much public spending does each area receive? Local authority level estimates of health, police, school and local government spending

Report

How much funding does each area of England receive for key public services, and is this funding allocated in line with patterns of needs?

15 August 2023

Forecasting is hard enough without basing it on fictional assumptions

Comment

"The power of both the Bank and the OBR is considerable... transparency and reflection are vital." Paul Johnson writes for the Times.

14 August 2023

An immediate response to the Scottish Fiscal Framework review

Comment

The revised Scottish Fiscal Framework will continue to redistribute income tax revenues from England and provides a little more financial flexibility.

2 August 2023

Student loans in England explained and options for reform

Explainer

How does the student loan system currently work in England, what will change for new students in 2023, and what are some of the options for reform?

20 July 2023

Abolishing inheritance tax would leave the country a terrible legacy

Comment

"I despair." Paul Johnson writes for the Times on the recent debate around abolishing inheritance tax.

17 July 2023

Government publishes new evidence on impacts of income and job protection schemes during the pandemic

Comment

Robert Joyce discusses some of the main takeaways from the government’s evaluations of the income and job protection schemes during the pandemic.

17 July 2023

Tax, private school fees and state school spending

Report

This report compares private school fees and state school spending. It also examines Labour’s proposals to remove tax exemptions from private schools.

11 July 2023