Advertise on podcast: a nation of taxpayers

John Healey's first budget is finally over, and, to be quite honest, the TPA team were not too impressed. From stealth taxes to freebies, this budget fiddled around the edges, fixed nothing, and put even more burdens on taxpayers and businesses. Podcast host Duncan Barkes was joined by Darwin Friend and William Yarwood of the TPA to discuss what this budget means for taxpayers.

Britain's public finances are under growing strain, with high debt, a heavier interest burden, weaker productivity growth, and mounting pressure to spend more. As economic challenges mount and the chancellor John Healey prepares to deliver his first budget, what should he do to put Britain on a better path? Host Duncan Barkes is joined by TaxPayers' Alliance's Darwin Friend and Shimeon Lee to break down five key measures the Chancellor must take - including reversing the Employer's National Insurance hike and restricting welfare spending. Together, they break down the urgent policy shifts needed to put economic growth and taxpayers at the forefront of the national agenda.

Chancellor John Healey needs to find £35 billion by 2030–31 if he is to keep his spending promises. Yet despite Treasury briefings hinting at a low-key fiscal event, the underlying numbers paint a picture of mounting structural pressures from defence to health to public sector pay. So what is he going to do? Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by TPA's William Yarwood and Jonathan Eida to unpack how we've got here and examine what options the Chancellor actually has on the table.

Britain's public finances are under growing strain, with debt close to twice the level seen during the 1976 fiscal crisis, a heavier interest burden, weaker productivity growth and mounting pressure from an ageing population. But how does today's position really compare with the crisis of the 1970s, and could Britain once again be forced to Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive John O'Connell and former TPA chairman Mike Denham, who has authored new research comparing Britain's current fiscal position with the circumstances that led to the 1976 IMF bailout. They examine the growth of public debt, the rising cost of servicing it, Britain's increased exposure to international investors and refinancing risks, and why today's spending commitments may be harder to reduce than those of the 1970s. They also discuss what the lessons of 1976 mean for economic growth, taxation and the long-term sustainability of the public finances. Read the full paper here:

Britain's welfare bill is set to climb above £400 billion by the end of the decade, while disability benefits linked to mental health have more than doubled in just five years. But what is driving the surge, and can the current system be sustained? Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's William Yarwood and Shimeon Lee to discuss the growing cost of Britain's welfare state and new TaxPayers' Alliance research into Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments. They examine the rise in working-age benefit claims, the sharp growth in PIP claims linked to mental health conditions, the parts of the country where dependency is most concentrated, and what these trends mean for taxpayers.

Inheritance tax is one of Britain's most unpopular taxes, and the political pressure to scrap it is now growing. Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's William Yarwood and the Adam Smith Institute's Maxwell Marlow to make the case for abolishing inheritance tax, as the Conservatives explore plans to scrap the levy altogether. They discuss why inheritance tax penalises saving, investment and families trying to pass on what they have built, whether abolition could boost growth, and how the lost revenue could be covered through spending restraint rather than higher taxes elsewhere.

Britain's government is spending eye-watering sums across an ever-growing state, but where is all that money actually going? Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's William Yarwood and Shimeon Lee to discuss the TaxPayers' Alliance's latest Spending Factbook, which lays bare the scale of government spending and how taxpayers' money is being used across Whitehall and the wider public sector. They examine which areas of government are consuming the most cash, how spending has changed over time, where the biggest pressures are coming from, and why successive governments have struggled to get the public finances under control. Read the new factbook here

Britain's civil service has ballooned by a third in just a decade, leaving taxpayers funding more than half a million officials and a salary bill of over £22 billion. Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's research director Darwin Friend and former TPA chairman Mike Denham to discuss new TaxPayers' Alliance research into the growth of the civil service, which reveals headcount has risen from 418,340 in 2016 to 557,825 in 2026. They examine the explosion in senior officials and six-figure salaries, why Whitehall continues to expand despite repeated promises of reform, and whether shifting civil servants around the country really amounts to decentralisation.

Britain's official national debt is already heading towards £3 trillion, but the real burden facing taxpayers is far higher. Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's William Yarwood and Anne Strickland to discuss new TaxPayers' Alliance research into the real national debt, which highlights the government's true liabilities at £11.7 trillion, or almost four times the size of the UK economy. They examine why headline debt figures fail to capture the full scale of state pension promises, public-sector pensions, PFI commitments, and nuclear decommissioning costs. They also discuss how debt interest is swallowing ever more public money, why welfare spending is becoming impossible to ignore, and how political cowardice has left future taxpayers with an enormous bill.

Staff sickness and absence are costing councils millions, yet town halls keep demanding more money while too little attention is paid to lost working time and weak productivity. Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's William Yarwood and Shimeon Lee to discuss new TaxPayers' Alliance research into sickness absence across UK local authorities, revealing the cost to council budgets and the impact on frontline services. They examine why absence rates vary so widely between councils, how mental health-related absence has become a growing pressure, and what high levels of staff sickness mean for residents already facing rising council tax bills. They also discuss the wider public sector sickness and productivity problem.

Tourist hotspots in Wales are about to be clobbered by the Welsh government's introduction of a holiday tax which will be levied against those wishing to stay overnight in a town or village. The TPA has been raising awareness of this pernicious tax in places like Conwy and Anglesey. Outside of Wales, the Labour government under Andy Burnham is introducing legislation that will enable regional mayors to levy a similar tax on overnight visitors to their towns and cities.    Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's Benjamin Elks and Jonathan Eida to discuss the impact of such taxes and the devastating consequences it will have on UK tourism.

There are over one million 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training. Commonly known as NEETs, this group in society is a strain on public finances and the taxpayer.    Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's Shimeon Lee and Georgiana Bristol, chief executive at the Jobs Foundation.    Together they discuss the challenges of getting NEETs and others into work.   They also look at what can be done to make it easier for UK businesses to offer jobs to those wanting to start their working life and whether it is too easy for some to claim that they are unable to work.

The NHS keeps demanding more money, but patients are still stuck on waiting lists while senior managers take home bumper pay packets. Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's Jonathan Eida and Anne Strickland to discuss the latest NHS Rich List, which reveals 574 NHS bosses now earn more than the prime minister and the number receiving at least £300,000 in total remuneration has more than doubled in a year. They examine soaring executive pay, poor performance at some of the worst-performing trusts, and why ministers must follow through on promises to link pay to results. From A&E delays to referral-to-treatment waiting times, they ask whether taxpayers and patients are getting value for money from the NHS management class.

Britain is already weighed down by record taxes, soaring debt interest and a bloated state that politicians seem unwilling to reform. Now Andy Burnham has entered Downing Street with a long spending wishlist, a record of raising local charges and a promise of a new economic model. But who will pay for it? Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's Darwin Friend and William Yarwood to discuss whether Burnham's plans risk pushing Britain's public finances even further towards the brink. They examine his record in Greater Manchester, the growing pressure for wealth taxes and higher borrowing, and what the new prime minister must do to avoid bankrupting Britain.

The Equality Act was sold as a tidy-up of existing anti-discrimination law. But has it instead transformed Britain's understanding of equality, freedom and discrimination? Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TaxPayers' Alliance's campaigns director William Yarwood and the Prosperity Institute's Editorial and Research Director Rhys Laverty to discuss the Prosperity Institute's new report calling for the repeal or fundamental reform of the Equality Act 2010. They examine how the act moved Britain away from equal treatment before the law and towards a system of protected characteristics, positive duties, public sector equality rules and state-sanctioned discrimination. They also discuss how the legislation has affected workplaces, public bodies, private businesses and free speech. You can read their new report, 'Some More Equal Than Others: The Case Against the Equality Act' here.