Taxes and benefits

As part of this year’s Festival of Social Science, IFS delivered a public economic talk on "The economics of higher education" aimed at final year undergraduates studying economics.

African countries could consider temporary, progressive tax reforms that have significant revenue potential whilst minimising short-term negative economic impacts, including wealth taxes, temporary increases in the top rates of personal income tax, and higher taxation of businesses and sectors that fared well during the pandemic.

Increasing vehicle use throughout Africa has potentially large social, economic and environmental costs, particularly in urban areas caused by congestion, accidents and pollution. New research suggests that vehicle taxes in the region commonly fail to address these issues, which are applied predominantly to vehicle imports rather than ownership or usage.

In this paper, we look at why a global deal on global tax reforms was needed, explain how the reforms are likely to work in practice and set out the potential impacts of the global deal, with a focus on lower-income countries.

Press reports suggest that the Chancellor is planning an overhaul of the UK’s system of alcohol duties. The current system, which raises about £12 billion a year, is certainly ripe for reform.