The Trouble With This Popular Progressive Idea

© The New York Times

© The New York Times
Up to 1.4 million people could benefit from change to trading allowance announced in budget, with some saving hundreds in tax
The amount Britons can earn from a side hustle without paying tax will rise to £3,000 next year in a fillip for those who make extra cash from hobbies or reselling.
Up to 1.4 million people could benefit from the change announced in the budget, with the chancellor confirming the tax-free “trading” allowance will increase from £1,000 to £3,000 in April 2027.
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© Photograph: Photononstop/Alamy

© Photograph: Photononstop/Alamy

© Photograph: Photononstop/Alamy
Conservative-run Hillingdon aims to save £100,000 but local people fear dog poo will ‘be dumped everywhere’
People in a west London borough fear it will become covered in dog poo after their cash-strapped council decided to remove 700 dog-waste bins to save money.
“People are worried there’s going to be dog shit everywhere,” said Daniel O’Neill, the chief road steward at Ruislip Residents’ Association.
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© Photograph: Daniel O'Neill

© Photograph: Daniel O'Neill

© Photograph: Daniel O'Neill
Conservative-run Hillingdon aims to save £100,000 but local people fear dog poo will ‘be dumped everywhere’
People in a west London borough fear it will become covered in dog poo after their cash-strapped council decided to remove 700 dog-waste bins to save money.
“People are worried there’s going to be dog shit everywhere,” said Daniel O’Neill, the chief road steward at Ruislip Residents’ Association.
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© Photograph: Daniel O'Neill

© Photograph: Daniel O'Neill

© Photograph: Daniel O'Neill
‘Compliance managers’ to have discussions with authority’s wealthiest customers in attempt to raise tax revenues
The UK’s tax authority is assigning dedicated “customer compliance managers” to more than 200 billionaires as part of a crackdown meant to raise £500m for the public purse.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said it had for the first time compiled a list of billionaires who are required to pay tax in the UK, regardless of whether they formally live in the country, to tackle a “wealthy tax gap” caused by those who do not pay what they ought.
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© Photograph: Rosemary Roberts/Alamy

© Photograph: Rosemary Roberts/Alamy

© Photograph: Rosemary Roberts/Alamy
Healey’s attempt to provide ‘breathing space’ gives rich almost as much as poor, says Resolution Foundation
John Healey delivered a “scattergun” budget that did little to boost living standards and left Britain facing “a painful second half” of the parliament, a leading economic thinktank has warned.
The Resolution Foundation said on Thursday that measures to ease household gas and electricity costs would still leave energy bills higher this year than during the last energy shock.
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© Photograph: RichSTOCK/Alamy

© Photograph: RichSTOCK/Alamy

© Photograph: RichSTOCK/Alamy
From a young chef and a single father to business owners and a pensioner, Guardian readers reveal how John Healey’s measures will affect them
Louie, 24, a chef living in London, says a lot of people have “written off the idea of even considering getting a property” in their 20s.
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© Photograph: Graham Robinson

© Photograph: Graham Robinson

© Photograph: Graham Robinson
Few surprises as chancellor uses low-key speech blaming ‘global economic storms’ for stoking energy prices and cost of living crisis
John Healey raised taxes on banks and landlords to fund a £100 winter handout for 20 million families as official forecasts made clear there is no end in sight for the cost of living crisis.
In his first budget, the chancellor blamed “global economic storms” for the grim outlook, as the war in Iran drives up oil and gas prices.
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© Photograph: House of Commons/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: House of Commons/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: House of Commons/AFP/Getty Images