British voters care less about tax rises than politicians think
So if you’re going to increase a tax, make it a big one
The Cornish pasty looms large in David Cameron’s memoirs. In 2012 the then Conservative government decided to levy vat on hot takeaway food such as the beefy snack. It was a measly scheme that would have raised an annual £110m ($140m; 0.005% of gdp). Outrage ensued. “Pasties,” Lord Cameron despaired. “I hadn’t even thought about pasties.” For page after page, he gaily recalls the scandal which saw headlines of “Let Them Eat Cold Pasty” and a Marie Antoinette lookalike hounding George Osborne, his chancellor of the exchequer.
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Britain August 3rd 2024
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- Britain’s railways go from one extreme to another
- The disease that most afflicts England’s National Health Service
- The race to become leader of Britain’s Conservatives
- Was the Bank of England right to start lowering interest rates?
- British voters care less about tax rises than politicians think
From the August 3rd 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
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Are British voters as clueless as Labour’s intelligentsia thinks?
How the idea of false consciousness conquered the governing party
The best British companies to work for to get ahead
A new ranking of firms by pay, promotions and hiring practices
How the best British employers find and promote their staff
No degree? Some employers care much less than others
A tiny island fights the scourge of plastic on the beach
A Northern Irish experiment in recycling
A sticking-plaster policy for Britain’s strained courts
Magistrates get more power. Will they get punch-drunk on it?