Government announces bonfire of quangos
The UK government has today confirmed that hundreds of quangos will be scrapped, merged or scaled back. However, this has provoked a furious backlash from trade unions and senior civil servants who believe that it will be counter-productive with regards to the long-term aim of making government spending more transparent for the UK public. However, there is a sting in the tail!
One of the main reasons that the trade unions and senior civil servants appear to be against the so-called bonfire of the quangos is the fact that due to the terms and conditions applicable to those employed by some of these quangos it may well be more expensive to close them down than keep them going!
How on earth have we got to a situation where it cost more to close down these quangos than it does to run these unelected and often expensive operations?
It is believed that due to redeployment terms, pension fund arrangements and retraining obligations it may well be uneconomical for the UK government to close down some of these quangos in the short to medium term. However, surely there must be some scope for savings in the longer term?
Share this..
Related stories
Alistair Darling set to announce VAT cut on Monday
Chancellor Of The Exchequer Alistair Darling is set to announce a 2.5% reduction in UK VAT as part of his pre-budget speech this week. The move is expected to cost the Treasury in the region of £12 billion a year and is expected to be in place for two years. If the rumours are correct it looks as though the rate will fall from 17.5% to 15%, which is the lowest rate allowed under EU regulations.
HMRC admits problems with some tax codes
After the Chartered Institute of Taxation warned of problems with some personal tax codes recently issued to the UK public HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has today issued its own statement. The Revenue has admitted that a number of incorrect tax code correspondence has in fact been sent out which was in the main due to the transition of data to a new computer system. It would appear that a numbe...
Read MoreWas the Robin Hood tax vote rigged?
Earlier this week we saw a number of prominent politicians and showbiz celebrities step forward in support of a so called "Robin Hood tax" which would see a levy introduced on every financial transaction in the world to create a fund of around £250 billion a year. Richard Curtis, perhaps best known as the creator of the movie Love Actually, launched an online campaign to see what the public thoug...
Read MoreHarry Redknapp charged in relation to tax issues
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has revealed he will face court proceedings in the New Year with the news that HMRC will be taking the colourful football manager to court regarding allegations of unpaid tax. While he has received the full backing of the Tottenham Hotspur board of directors, with the company citing the fact this is a personal issue which happen before he joined Tottenham H...
Read MoreAre you on the correct tax code?
Over the last few days it has become more and more apparent that HM Revenue and Customs is having major problems with personal taxation for the UK population. It was confirmed today that anywhere up to 100,000 people may inadvertently be paying the wrong tax because of a computer malfunction which has changed many tax codes in the UK. So are you on the correct tax code? If we are brutally hones...
Read More