One ex-minister described the corporation tax rise to me as “categorically the wrong decision”. But the same old question for backbenchers remains: what will you sacrifice for tax cuts?
Though one in three don’t – and previous surveys suggest that the panel’s view on spending levels may be more complex than this return suggests.
“Our long term health depends on being a low tax economy,” the Chancellor adds. “I very strongly believe that.”
Above all, to what extent will he present a clear plan and message? My starter for ten is “help hard-working people and go for more growth”.
The Government’s approach is unlikely to bring out the best from those upon whom it depends to get things done.
The Business Secretary says such things are “for the Chancellor” when pressed by Sophy Ridge.
At a time of pressure on public spending, delivering efficiency savings is especially important.
The Chancellor should not feel constrained by the OBR’s forecasts into limiting the actions he can take.
Pandemic and war, like two horsemen of the Apocalypse, leave the Chancellor scrabbling for a response.
The third in a series of articles on how the Chancellor should approach the upcoming Spring Statement.
Of the main tax cut candidates urged on the Chancellor, the best available is a VAT fuel reduction.
If the war lasts a few years at most, the Chancellor can take the hit. If it’s a new normal that lasts for decades, the outlook is grim.
The fundamental problem is that costs are going up faster than we are getting more productive.
Johnson’s grand bargain to hike National Insurance to fund social care doesn’t look as if it will survive a leadership contest. But what would replace it?
Investors in science and technology need to be able to rely on the assurance that we will not fall behind nations such as the US, Israel, Germany and South Korea in our investment to science.