Is it right to involve the public in budget cuts?
As the UK coalition government sets about targeting up to £60 billion in budget cuts David Cameron has announced what will effectively be an open forum with the UK public. He recently visited Canada where the Canadian authorities also underwent a similar task some years ago whereby the public were involved in targeted budget cuts which appeared to go down well with voters. Will David Cameron use the same tactic in the UK?
While there's no doubt that involving the public has gone down with many people there's a growing feeling that UK voters have shifted this responsibility to the government of the day. Whether it is correct for David Cameron to seek public opinion on budget cuts is a hot debate at the moment with different points of view very evident in the press. The truth is that while certain areas such as the NHS and education will not feel the same kind of pain as other departments, each and every area of the UK budget will be impacted.
Whether the involvement of the UK public, however deep that maybe, is correct or not there is no doubt that David Cameron is attempting to re-create a line of communication between MPs and the public, a line which disappeared many years ago.
Share this..
Related stories
George Osborne to take 1 million people out of income tax bracket
George Osborne will today announce an increase in personal allowances which will take around 1 million people out of the income tax bracket. This is a move purely and simply designed to assist low income families in the UK as he continues his strategy of "making the rich pay". So will this work? While on the surface, taking nearly 1 million people out of income tax brackets is always a good mov...
Read MoreIs Barclays bank set to issue massive pay rises?
Barclays bank is rumoured to be on the verge of announcing pay rises for staff at Barclays Capital which could see some investment bankers receiving a pay rise of around 150%. In a move which is sure to attract the attention of regulators and the government, although a move which Barclays has so far denied, it would appear this is the way in which many banking giants will attempt to avoid the bank...
Read MoreStamp duty avoidance schemes in demand
Lawyers and solicitors around the UK have confirmed an increase in demand for stamp duty avoidance schemes as the UK government looks set to increase stamp duty on properties valued at over £1 million to 5% against the current 4% rate. While the potential stamp duty savings can be enormous for those looking at properties in the higher millions of pounds there is still significant savings to be ma...
Read MoreGordon Brown attacks Tory policy on budget deficit
Despite the fact that the UK budget deficit is set to hit £178 billion for the current tax year Gordon Brown seems adamant that his government's spend, spend, spend policy must continue for the foreseeable future. He has today drawn the battle lines for the forthcoming election with suggestion that a premature reduction in spending by the Tory party could tip the UK economy back into recession....
Read MoreUK government to name and shame tax cheats
The UK government will officially introduce a scheme to name and shame tax cheats from 1 April 2010 with the first names likely to be made public on 1 April 2011. While only those who have deliberately attempted to evade tax in excess of £25,000 in the new tax year will be named and shamed, it could be the beginning of a similar program for lower-level "tax cheats". This legislation was mentio...
Read More