Sadiq Khan is under pressure again for his habit of splashing taxpayers’ cash. As Londoners brace themselves for more council tax hikes, City Hall seems to have not been fazed by the matter. A report released by The Taxpayers’ Alliance reveals that the number of staff at City Hall, the Met and TfL paid over £100,000 has nearly doubled since 2019 to this financial year (2022-2023) from 655 to 1,146. The bill is footed by Londoners’ hard earned coin…

Susan Hall slammed the eye-watering figure:

“Under Sadiq Khan, City Hall has turned into one big gravy train, with hundreds of staff receiving salaries greater than the top 4% earners in the country. Many of the staff directly responsible for bringing in the ULEZ expansion are earning over £100,000, paid for by the poorest Londoners through his £12.50 daily tax.”

Khan’s gravy train running full steam ahead might not be a good look in the run up to the Mayoral election. Still, nice work if you can get it…

While 40 councils are on the brink of bankruptcy and outrage grows over the rise in council tax, one wonders what these councils have actually been spending taxpayers’ money on. Unsurprisingly, diversity’s the name, spending is the game…

The Taxpayers’ Alliance reveals that UK councils have splurged a whopping £51,775,800 on equality, diversity and inclusion hires since 2020, the figure ramping up by 41% in the last financial year alone. Cash strapped councils who have had to raise council taxes to ‘function’ have been among those who decided hiring ‘woke’ jobs to be a priority. Just one example is bankrupt Birmingham, where council tax is increasing by 21%, hiring an “Assistant Director of Community Services and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion” with an eye-watering average salary of £103,165. Nice work if you can get it…

Joanna Marchong of the TPA nailed it:

“With the cost of council tax soaring and the mounting debt councils are sitting on, taxpayers will be astonished by the money wasted on council non-jobs.”

The report comes after Hunt announced plans for a public sector productivity drive last week, suggesting he would tell UK councils to cut spending on consultants and diversity schemes. Whether he’ll actually deliver it or kick the can down the road like he did when he announced a crack down on woke waste across Whitehall is yet to be seen…

The Taxpayers’ Alliance have released a new report that shows just how bad our tax burden is under a party which supposedly holds ‘keeping more of the money you earn’ as a core value. Over a working lifetime, the average household will shell out a staggering £1,238,760 in taxes (in 2021-22 prices), nearly doubling since 1977. Unsurprisingly, the poorest households are hit the hardest, who will work 23 years to pay off the taxman…

In 2020-2021, the average households’ tax burden would be £1,120,470, increasing by £118,290 in just one financial year. Thanks in no small part to Rishi’s decision to freeze income thresholds. Meanwhile the Spring budget isn’t looking good for those who are hoping to hold on to more of their hard earned cash. No wonder voters see Labour as the party of lower taxes now…

It’s no secret that the housing crisis is a huge issue. Last December, Homes England, the public body that funds new affordable housing in England, admitted that the number of Homes England-backed starts fell by 23% compared to the year before. Not nailing it…

However, the quango did manage to gather the funds for extensive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) events and training. According to new research by the Taxpayers’ Alliance, over the last three years, Homes England spent an eye-watering £195,512.50 on EDI hires. Even more shockingly, a total of 177 working days have been lost as EDI events and courses have taken up staff time, an average of 59 working days annually for the last three years. When Homes England is already falling behind targets, wasting vast amounts of money and time on woke agenda doesn’t exactly build trust in the public…

The Taxpayers’ Alliance have resorted to peaceful protesting outside of the HM Treasury building in a rallying cry against the highest tax burden since the War. They’re campaigning for bigger tax cuts in Hunt’s upcoming Spring Budget, calling for thresholds to be unfrozen and for the basic rate to be reduced from 20p to 19p. Sound suggestions…

If Rishi wants to deliver on ‘growing the economy’, which is now his biggest priority over immigration according to Number 10 insiders, then he would be wise to listen to the TPA. City analysts have said a drop in interest rates and tax cuts in the budget will lead to growth. Not rocket science, though whether our Chancellor will do that in Spring is another question…

Joanna Marchong, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“Taxpayers across the UK are begging for relief to come soon. Since thresholds have been frozen millions more have been dragged into higher rates of income tax. The chancellor must take action at the budget and provide the income tax cut Brits deserve.”

The TPA are also running a petition as part of the campaign. Perhaps they should target the OBR’s HQ next…

A report today by the TaxPayers’ Alliance reveals a staggering surge in the number of folks shelling out income tax under the Tories. Since 2010, a whopping 4.5 million more people are paying the income tax, from 31 million to 35.5 million. The highest tax burden since the war doesn’t scream party of low taxes…

Back in 2014, Lord Cameron grandiosely claimed lifting millions of people out of income tax by raising the tax allowance rate was “one of the proudest things I have done in government.” Yet since 2010, basic rate taxpayers have swelled by 1.7 million, hitting 28.5 million. The freeze on thresholds in 2021/22 added insult to injury, roping in an extra 1.1 million to the basic rate and another million to the higher rate. And it’s the areas with the lowest average earnings who are hit the hardest: North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and Wales – London on the other hand saw the lowest increase. It’s not set to get any better. Almost 2.5 million more taxpayers are anticipated in 2023-24 compared to 2021-22, due to frozen personal allowance and higher rate thresholds.

Darwin Friend of the TPA said:

“Taxpayers in every corner of the United Kingdom are struggling with the bruising impact of tax rises and threshold freezes. The transformation of Britain into a high-tax, low-growth economy has hit almost every household, from Edinburgh to Eastleigh and Cardiff to Colchester. Ministers must use the budget to give taxpayers the income tax relief they desperately need.”

Guido agrees. Hunt and his clan should look closely at these figures. High tax and low growth does not a happy population make…