Government finances and spending

The UK and Scottish Governments have so far failed to agree the new 'fiscal framework' that must accompany the transfer of tax and welfare powers recommended by the Smith Commission and set out in the Scotland Bill. Perhaps the biggest bone of contention is how to adjust Scotland’s block grant to reflect the associated transfer of tax revenues and welfare spending to the Scottish Government. With another 'deadline' for an agreement looming, this observation aims to analyse the proposals put forward by each government, including a recent 'compromise' put forward by the UK government.

This presentation was given at the launch of the Green Budget 2016.

This presentation was given at the launch of the IFS Green Budget 2016.

This presentation was given at the launch of the IFS Green Budget 2016.

This presentation was given at the launch of the Green Budget 2016.

This presentation was given at the launch of the Green Budget 2016.

Corporate tax has rarely excited the imagination of the public as much as in recent years. This week Google has become the latest company to attract widespread anger over the amount of tax it has paid in the UK. The sense that there are some big, profitable companies paying relatively little in corporate tax has led many to try to allocate blame. Are multinationals simply behaving badly? Is HMRC cutting sweetheart deals with favoured companies? Have politicians failed in their task of writing the tax rules?

This presentation was given by Tom Pope at the IFS public economics lectures, held in London on 7 January 2016.

This presentation was given by Carl Emmerson at the IFS public economics lectures, held in London on 7 January 2016

This presentation was given by Jack Britton at the IFS public economics lectures, held in London on 7 January 2016.

This presentation was given by Barra Roantree at the IFS public economics lectures, held in London on 7 January 2016.

This presentation was given by Rachel Griffith as the Royal Economic Society annual lecture on 24 November 2015.

The onset of the global financial crisis was quickly followed by a substantial increase in government borrowing in many European countries. To offset this, packages of tax rises and spending cuts were implemented in many countries. The approaches taken have shown similarities but also important differences – in terms of the reliance on tax rises versus spending cuts, which areas were cut, and the types of households affected. A new special edition of the journal Fiscal Studies, launched today at an event in Brussels, looks at the impact of the Great Recession on the public finances and the fiscal policy reforms implemented in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.