Government finances and spending

The differences between UK regions are rooted in history going back decades, even centuries. Having fundamental effects on them will require reallocating capital spending for sure, and a whole lot more.

This presentation was delivered as part of the IFS press briefing following the Spring Budget 2020.

These remarks were delivered at the IFS presentation following the Spring Budget 2020.

This presentation was delivered as part of the IFS press briefing following the Spring Budget 2020.

This presentation was delivered as part of the IFS press briefing following the Spring Budget 2020.

This presentation was delivered as part of the IFS press briefing following the Spring Budget 2020.

It looks likely that responding to the coronavirus outbreak (covid-19) will be at the centre of Wednesday’s Budget. We look at some of the options the Chancellor has.

If the pattern observed in the first ten months of the financial year continues for the next two, government borrowing will be £44 billion this year. This would be £3.5 billion lower than implied by the OBR’s restated March 2019 forecast. But it is worth recalling that just four years ago, in March 2016, a surplus of £10.4 billion was forecast for this financial year: i.e. we have seen a deterioration of around £55 billion in four years.

"If we want more spending, we’ll have to pay for it. That, eventually, must mean more taxes." Paul Johnson surveys Rishi Sunak's choices ahead of the 2020 Budget.

If there’s one thing that everyone in politics seems to agree on, it’s that we need to solve the housing crisis. But there "really aren’t easy solutions here."

In this presentation given the at the Local Government's Winter Finance Conference on 6th January 2020, David Phillips looks at the outlook for local government funding, arguing that unless current plans are topped up, local government could face a renewed funding squeeze from 2021-22 onwards.

The three main political parties offer voters starkly different choices on tax, writes Stuart Adam of the IFS.

In their manifestos, both the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats have promised to extend free school meals to more children. The Labour party would introduce free school meals for all children in primary schools, while the Liberal Democrats would offer them to all secondary-school pupils whose families are receiving universal credit as well. Meanwhile, in their manifesto the Conservative party promises to “maintain our commitment” to free school meals – which we interpret as a plan to keep policy as it is.