Government finances and spending

Analysis of the SNP’s Sustainable Growth Commission’s proposals

Public spending on social care for older people in England has seen large cuts in recent years, falling by 21% between 2009–10 and 2015–16. This has led to growing concerns over the potential for adverse effects on other public services, and in particular the NHS.

Ministers will have to make unpopular decisions on taxation to raise health service funding, says Thomas Pope of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Research led by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, released by the Department for Education yesterday has highlighted the importance of university courses in determining graduates’ earnings. But what are the implications for government policy?

How should we fund social care? When you try to answer such a big question, you quickly realise there are a whole host of underlying questions one needs to think about.

Recent IFS work (joint with the Health Foundation) documented the considerable pressures on health and social care spending over the next fifteen years. In the near term, an announced funding settlement for the NHS covering the next few years may be on the horizon.

40% of the growth in the UK’s workforce since 2008 has come from people working for their own business. IFS researchers are using administrative tax records to learn more about the self-employed and company owner-managers, including their characteristics, how these groups have been changing in recent years and how they respond to the tax system.

40% of the growth in the UK’s workforce since 2008 has come from people working for their own business. IFS researchers are using administrative tax records to learn more about the self-employed and company owner-managers, including their characteristics, how these groups have been changing in recent years and how they respond to the tax system.

40% of the growth in the UK’s workforce since 2008 has come from people working for their own business. IFS researchers are using administrative tax records to learn more about the self-employed and company owner-managers, including their characteristics, how these groups have been changing in recent years and how they respond to the tax system.

This presentation was given to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association's Local Government conference on 23 May 2018.

David Phillips and Neil Amin-Smith examine the plans for radical overhaul of the council funding system, explore the impact of the funding pilot on local authority spending and question whether it is creating fairer distribution of funds for local authorities.

A second round of councils began piloting so-called 100% rates retention this month. Neil Amin-Smith and David Phillips from the Institute for Fiscal Studies look at the financial implications of the pilots.