This fiscal rule would leave governments free to borrow for infrastructure investments – but day-to-day spending would be paid through your and my taxes.
Yes, some rises are inevitable. But they must be balanced by spending reductions elsewhere if economic policy is to be practicable and coherent.
The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union cites the way in which the OBR repeatedly fails to predict the deficit as an example of inevitable modelling errors.
Lower interest rates and monetary manipulation have been presented as the solution to our economic woes. But increasingly they create them.
In the post-leave springtime, it will be worth considering what would happen if all three were abolished and replaced by a single Turnover Tax.
We must keep asking: ‘what’s the right level to pursue social repair?’ The nation is too large; the individual is too small. The community remains the right place.
The final article in our series argues that while the primary focus should be deficit reduction, there may yet be room to make life a bit easier, particularly for the poorest.
Why he believes Brexit will make life harder for Putin. Plus: Can Hammond hold course in today’s Spring Statement? And how does faith fit into public life?
Day-to-day spending being brought back into balance is good news, and it makes some spending decisions easier, but beware hype about the ‘end of austerity’.
However the Wyre Forest MP is less optimistic than some about the prospect of a ‘Brexit dividend’ which will further boost public spending.
“But we are still in the tunnel at the moment. We have to get debt down. We’ve got all sorts of other things we want to do.”
It’s later than Osborne planned, but good news nonetheless. Now Hammond must hold the course, and resist siren calls to start splashing the cash.
Economically, it could be transformational, as it has been in Norway, which established its fund back in the early 1990s. It is now worth over a trillion dollars.
It continues to clear the deficit, prepare for Brexit, and back our businesses with the support they need to boost productivity.
Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, Dan Hannan, Liam Halligan, Steve Baker, Tom Tugendhat & others will speak. And there’s a special discount for ConHome readers.