UK Budget 2016 - Ominous Revisions
Today's statement in the House of Commons marked George Osborne's eighth budget in just under six years as Chancellor. Whilst there were many eye-catching policies such as a tax on sugary drinks and reforms to ISAs, they could not distract from some major revisions to UK economic growth. The Office...
Fiscal Space, Irish Water and Water Charges
In an earlier blog I noted that the government's available fiscal space over the next five years, after accounting for demographic costs and the indexing of public spending for inflation, would be somewhere in the region of €2.5 billion to €4.5 billion. The Fiscal Council estimate €3.2 billion. The...
Social Housing in Northern Ireland
Social housing in Northern Ireland faces unique challenges over the coming years in terms of capacity, finance and delivery. Moreover there are questions over the structure of organisation who deliver social housing and how that could be amended to best suit future needs.This InBrief looks to...
Fiscal Rules, Fiscal Space and Growth Friendly Fiscal Policies
The reformed Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the creation of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) have enhanced supervision of Irish fiscal policy and reduced the range of feasible fiscal stances an Irish government can promise or take. This new reality was brought into sharp focus with the...
How Much Would a FTT Raise?
This month’s NERI seminar featured a new research paper which examined the likely revenue yield for the Republic of Ireland from the implementation of a financial transactions tax (FTT). In 2011 the European Commission outlined proposals for a Europe wide FTT. Since then the proposal has been...
Tackling Economic Inequality
One could write a book, indeed volumes, on the topic of economic inequality and its possible causes, implications and remedies. In a blog (based on a short input to a recent conference) it is only possible to point towards a number of key issues; specifically six core areas relevant to our thinking...
Just Change – reforming Scotland’s Local Property Tax
Scotland’s Commission on Local Tax Reform was established in early 2015 with the purpose of considering reforms to the current Council Tax system – one deemed outdated and broken by those on all sides. On December 14 th last the Commission published its final report entitled ‘ Just Change: A New...
Monday Blog: Public Sector reform
Public sector reform is an expression that falls lightly into the lap of public discourse. Everyone speaks up for ‘public sector reform’ and few if any would disagree that the sector needs constant reforming and improvement. That said, I can’t remember the last time I heard the expression ‘private...
Low tax, low spend?
The NERI’s Quarterly Economic Facts contains a range of indicators on the public finances. One of these indicators compares levels of government revenue and public spending in the Republic of Ireland (Ireland) with that of other EU economies. The basic method of comparison is to measure total...
Monday Blog: An insecure age
Being ‘young’ today is the same and not the same as it used to be 50 years ago. It is the same because it tends to be associated with growth, development, opportunity, challenge, rupture …. It is not the same because the world as we know it has changed dramatically in the space of two generations...