Can any government cut tax?

Taxes pay governments to spend. How many governments do you know with the self-discipine to reduce either?

Perhaps it's a mistake to look to government to reduce what it spends and taxes? If, like me, you think lower taxes and spend are vital to revive us from long-term economic stupor, maybe we shouldn't leave it to ministers and the executive.

Once - before it grew supine and spineless - our legislature voted to "approve supply". That's to say, those we elected went through government budgets, and said "no". MPs have somehow stopped doing that - and we've had a steadily rising tax burden ever since.

Rather than leave it to ministerial fiat to cut tax, perhaps we need a new system of properly accountable politics? If every MP was accountable - not only for their expenses - but how they scrutinised Whitehall's - we'd achieve what no post-war government has managed.

Posted on 20 July 2009 by Douglas Carswell

Comments

The executive has got too powerful, largely due to pearty politics and Prime Ministerial patronage.
The simplest way of reining them in is to repael the Parliament Acts (thus restoring the Lords as a purely hereditary House, with a built-in tendency to take the long view) and any other legislation allowing one House to influence the other.
That would give a permanent state of creative tension and prevent Governments getting above themselves. (Of course, the fact that Hereditary peers tend to have a conservative leaning might also be seem as an advantage in certain quarters. ;-)

Posted on 20 July 2009 10:03 by Disputin

We have OFCOM, OFGEN, OFWAT, OFGAS (if I've got the names correct) to regulate the charges and examine the costs of the privatised Communication, Electricity, Water and Gas Industries. Perhaps it's time we had OFCOUNCIL and OFGOVT to do the same with local councils and central Government. The existing audit offices do nothing more than establish whether the money was spent legally; we need someone to look at whether it was justified and well spent.

Posted on 20 July 2009 10:07 by Brian E.

Nulabor is the first government in history to create three generational debt against those they're paid to serve.

In the process, Nulabor is the first government in history to employ around 5 million - equivalent of the population of Scotland.

Unaffordable borrowings against taxpayers continue for non competitive (tax wasting) PFI's.

Posted on 20 July 2009 10:22 by Jean Baker

This is why Obama Beach's "Do Nothing" line is one Labour are going with. They want people to believe that governments should do things. The Tories really need to point of the cost of government "doing something" as opposed to the tax cuts possible if the government "does nothing" in an area.

Posted on 20 July 2009 11:00 by Mark M

That is a good point. Much of the original purpose of Parliament was to restrict the hereditary Executive's power to raise taxes. Indeed it was Charles I's attempt to do so (extending ship money etc) that lead to its rise to power, providing the Executive & thus not restraining it.Not quite sure we should go back to the hereditary bit but it is a thought...

Posted on 20 July 2009 12:53 by Neil Craig

When the private sector has finaly been dealt the death blow, the death of UKPLC will sort it all out any way. Obviously thats the harshest way it could be done but the most likely as NO goverment is willing to relinquish it's self given power on soft slavery.

Posted on 20 July 2009 14:39 by chris southern

Maybe we could have a political party who have some conviction and are not just there to get elected. A party that really wanted to represent democracy, low tax, free markets wealth and job creation.

If that party existed it would win a majority at a general election and could implement these reforms.

However as the party doesn't exist we will continue to get the same. NuLab, BluLab taking it in turns to do roughly the same thing under a cloud of obfuscation and spin.

What we need is a politician with a following who is prepared to move outside their comfort zone and break the mould of British politics.....do you know anyone who could do it?

Posted on 20 July 2009 15:52 by paul

"Giving money and power to the government is like giving whisky and car keys to teenage boys." -- P. J. O'Rourke.

Posted on 20 July 2009 19:46 by Roger Pearse

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