Government finances and spending

A project for Universities UK.

This presentation was given to the EU Working Group on Taxation, in Brussels, March 30th 2010.

This presentation was given at the IFS post-Budget briefing on 25th March 2010.

This presentation was given at the IFS post-Budget briefing on 25th March 2010.

This presentation was given at the University of Essex on March 17th, 2010

Last week Chancellor Alistair Darling warned us not to expect a giveaway in next week's Budget, while his Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, reassured us that the Government could halve the deficit by 2013-14 without announcing any further tax increases. If both statements prove correct - no pre-election tax giveaway and no new post-election tax takeaway - then this would break the pattern of the last four general elections.

This presentation was given at a seminar at NYU, on March 10th 2010

This presentation was given at a Public Economics Seminar, at MIT, on March 7th 2010

In his 2008 Conservative party conference speech, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne announced that an incoming Conservative government would freeze Council Tax in England for two years. Over the past month, the parties have been disputing how much it would cost, if it were to be implemented in 2011-12 and 2012-13. IFS researchers have re-analysed this policy and find that putting a number on how much it costs is not simple, and this observation explains why.