The Taxpayers’ Alliance starts barking at the moon

I’ve just done a Sky News debate with Matthew Elliott of the Taxpayers’ Alliance.  He suggested a new way of cutting public spending which breaches a whole new frontier in economic illiteracy (even for the TPA).  

His brilliant idea: the public sector should follow the example of some manufacturing firms and put all staff on a four day week!  By my calculations that would remove just over £30 billion from the economy in the particularly fragile area of household demand and cut about £7 billion from the Treasury’s income tax revenue (and this doesn’t include further tax lost due to reduced VAT and corporation tax resulting from the obvious decline in spending).

Of course, what a four day week would do to the services provided by our hospitals, schools and countless other public services is unthinkable. 

It just proves that the TPA is essentially our version of America’s Republican right:  utterly obsessed with shrinking the state beyond all reason and with no concern for the actual consequences for the economy, for ordinary working people or even for ordinary taxpayers.

Related posts (automatically generated):

1. 50p tax rate: the Taxpayers Alliance speaks for the minority (as usual).
2. The Taxpayers’ Alliance defends itself
3. Have the Taxpayers’ Alliance messed up?

 Print  ¦  Filed under: Politics, Public services, Tax

6 Responses to “The Taxpayers’ Alliance starts barking at the moon”

1. Carol Wilcox, on September 15th, 2009 at 9:38 am Said:

   The Morning Star had an excellent article on TPA yesterday. See http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/features/Taking-taxpayers-for-a-ride.

2. Lawrence Daines, on October 13th, 2009 at 10:11 pm Said:

   Quite simply over bloated Keynesian funded Welfare States always collapse and create unsustainble societies – but hey ho what’s new with Labour they have precedents – but of course you lot always ignore history and maintain your selfish position.
   What a joke you lot are!

3. Tax Research UK » The Taxpayers’ Alliance starts barking at the moon, on September 15th, 2009 at 2:17 am Said:

   [...] The Taxpayers’ Alliance starts barking at the moon | ToUChstone blog: A public policy blog from th…. [...]

4. The Taxpayers’ Alliance starts barking at the moon | called2account, on September 15th, 2009 at 8:00 am Said:

   [...] The Taxpayers’ Alliance starts barking at the moon | ToUChstone blog: A public policy blog from th…. [...]

5. The Taxpayers Alliance hit back! | ToUChstone blog: A public policy blog from the TUC, on September 16th, 2009 at 3:47 pm Said:

   [...] The Taxpayers’ Alliance has accused me of being “frankly ridiculous” for my criticism of their four day week proposal for public sector workers.  Leaving aside the fact that this is a [...]

6. What has the TPA got against molecules, atoms, stars and space? | ToUChstone blog: A public policy blog from the TUC, on September 17th, 2009 at 1:08 pm Said:

   [...] molecules, atoms, stars and space? Posted at 1:08 pm on 17 Sep 09 by Nigel Stanley They may bark at the moon but they are not interested in studying [...]