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Politeia lecture series, 2005-6
How can the UK curb its
profligate public spending? Is any tax a good tax?
Against major reforms in public
spending by a number of countries since the 1980s, Politeia’s
series will ask: How can the UK Reform its tax and public
spending? Can, as our forthcoming (November) study explores,
public spending be cut without damaging consequences for
education and other social programmes?* What taxes help to
discipline profligate public spending? What are the advantages
or disadvantages of the flat tax?
*Ludger Schuknecht’s Politeia
study (forthcoming November) includes discussion on reform has
taken place in two main waves: from the early to mid-1980s, and
from the early to mid 1990s. Six countries reduced public
spending by more than 10 per cent of GDP (from 10 % to 16 %)
from 1983, including Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, the
Netherlands, Belgium and Finland, and six other countries cut
public spending by between 5 and 10 % of GDP (including Sweden,
Italy, Spain, Norway, Austria and Luxembourg). As a result a
number of countries have joined the low expenditure group of
public spending (around 35 % of GDP): they include Ireland,
Australia, Switzerland and the United States. |
