Cruickshank - Light in public policy jungle
On Budget Day, I was packing up my temporary office in the Treasury. The previous day, the government had announced a monopoly reference on small business banking. My proposals had been welcomed by consumer and small business groups, and by the Woolwich and Nationwide. A result, then....more
PHILIP STEPHENS
Searching for the e-society
Despite converging European attitudes towards the new economy, governments are still uncertain of their role....more
LETTER
Don't let Brown off the tax share hook
Sir, Martin Wolf's article, "A taxing question for the Conservatives" (March 20), highlights the problems any UK government would have faced in recent years if it had tried to reduce the tax share in gross domestic product. End of story, you might think. But you would be wrong....more
LETTER
Undermined by stamp duty rise
Sir, It is surprising and disappointing to see the usually insightful Lex rehearsing the line that "higher stamp duty on housing should help cool the property market" ("A sense of purpose", March 22). ...more
SAMUEL BRITTAN
A rather conservative Budget
The headline judgment on this week's UK Budget must be that it is highly conservative, both in its fiscal arithmetic and overall concept. This is not to deny that Gordon Brown, the UK finance minister, has been a radical reformer. ...more
OPINION
Little air behind the smokescreen
Businesses have learnt not to be fooled by headline Budget announcements, knowing that it pays to read the small print. ...more
LEX
Aiming high
It seems churlish not to cheer the chancellor's decision to make gains on investments in Aim shares eligible for the generous cuts in capital gains tax....
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