Raise tax-free allowance to ensure Living Wage for all

·         The government should raise the tax-free personal allowance to the National Minimum Wage rate to achieve a ‘Living Wage’ for all workers.
·         A NMW hike would lead to more unemployment among young and unskilled workers, but a tax cut would have stimulatory effects.
·         By raising the tax-free threshold and pegging it to the Minimum Wage level, up to 1,297,000 workers would be lifted out of taxation altogether. 1

In a paper released today (Monday) at the start of Living Wage week, the Adam Smith Institute calls for an alternative reform to increase net wages of low-paid workers. It argues that although the Living Wage Foundation’s efforts to increase pay for low-paid workers by working with employers should be applauded, it should not lead to an increase in the minimum wage, which could price low skilled workers out of the employment market altogether.

The paper reviews academic studies of minimum wage increase and argues that an increase in the National Minimum Wage to reach the Living Wage level would endanger employment prospects for low skilled or young workers. The paper argues that the unemployment effects of the minimum wage, whereby the minimum wage acts as a price floor that keeps unproductive workers out of employment altogether, make a rise in the National Minimum Wage too risky to consider.

Instead, the focus should be on the net income, not gross income, of workers. The pre-tax minimum wage is actually greater than the after-tax Living Wage – in other words, the only thing holding back all NMW workers from earning a Living Wage is tax. To address this, the tax free allowance should be raised and pegged to the National Minimum Wage rate to lift the lowest paid workers in the UK out of taxation. Raising the personal allowance to £12,875 would increase the take-home pay of everybody earning under £100,000 by £575 and lift up to 1,297,000 people out of the tax system altogether.

Author of the report and Adam Smith Institute’s policy director, Sam Bowman, says: “It is a national scandal that we tax the people at the bottom of society so much that they can’t earn enough to achieve a basic standard of living. It makes no sense to say that the National Minimum Wage is the least a person should earn and also take away a large chunk of that in tax.

“A tax cut for the poor and middle in this time of low economic growth would be just what the doctor ordered. It would increase spending and repayment of private debt, and relieve some of the burden on the people who can least afford to pay. Taking the poor out of tax makes economic sense, and it is also one of the most compassionate things this government could do for people at the bottom of society.”

1. This statistic comes from data in Low Pay Commission Report 2012, p38. You can read the report here: http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pdf/8990-BIS-Low%20Pay_Tagged.pdf

· Just Rewards: Why taking the poor out of tax makes economic and moral sense is a report released by the Adam Smith Institute. You can read the full report at: http://www.adamsmith.org/sites/default/files/research/files/JustRewardsASI.pdf

How to get a proper living wage: don't tax it

Tim argues that the Milibands are ignoring the vile stupidity of taxing the poor. Instead of pushing for a Living Wage we should stop taxing low-paid workers and raise the tax-free threshold.

You can read his article in The Times here (£).

Meanwhile Sam Bowman took part in a forum debate in City AM against Boris Johnson arguing that a rise in London's Living Wage doesn't make sense. He argued that raising the minimum wage would destroy job opportunities for low skilled and young potential employees and harm the very people the policy is supposed to help.

You can read his argument here. 

Summary

ASI Senior Fellow Tim Worstall writes in The Times on the living wage and argues that instead of bullying employers, the government should let low-paid workers keep every penny they earn. 

There's a better way of delivering a 'living wage' to the low-paid

Sam's paper on raising the tax-free personal allowance was also covered in The Sun and City AM. 

You can read his article here. 

Summary

Sam Bowman writes in ConservativeHome on the Living Wage and proposes that the tax-free personal allowance should be raised in line with Minimum Wage. This would give many people out of taxation altogether ensuring that they would have a Living Wage. 

On Heseltine's growth report

He argues that although less centralisation is a good thing, regional growth funds are highly bureaucratic and essentially take money away from businesses in the form of taxes to then distribute back to businesses. If we want to be serious about growth we need to cut the tax and regulatory burdens on businesses.

You can listen to his interview here (from around 12mins in)

Summary

Dr Eamonn Butler talks on Radio 4's 'World at One' on the drawbacks in Heseltine's proposals for economic growth.

FCA should be 'terminated at birth' suggests think tank

The article details how the introduction of the FCA and PRA will bring huge confusion and that the FCA shows no understanding of markets.

You can read the full article here.

Summary

The Daily Telegraph cover our latest report 'Strangled at Birth' on why the FCA is not fit for purpose and should be scrapped in favour of a stronger consumer ombudsman. 

NI contributions cost jobs, says think tank

The Times details how our suggestion to exempt small businesses from employer's NI contributions would lead to the creation of at least 500,000 jobs. It also mentions our suggestion that small businesses should not have to pay the increased business rates, which went up by 5.6% in April 2012.

You can read it here (£). 

The Financial Times wrote on our policy proposals, along with our analysis of current government policies of 'shares for rights' and a state-funded business bank as "gimmicks".

You can read the full article here. 

Summary

The Financial Times and The Times cover our report 'Unburdening Enterprise', which looks at radical steps the government could take to accomodate more growth in SMEs.

Government should cut business regulations for Britain to succeed

You can read the article here. 

Summary

Sam Bowman writes on ConservativeHome on the ASI's report 'Unburdening Enterprise'. He details its proposals to exempt small businesses from employer's NI contributions and to exempt them from any further business regulations coming out of the EU. 

Slash regulations for small businesses for a jobs-led recovery

·     The government’s policies are failing small and medium-sized enterprises.

·     The government should abolish employer’s National Insurance contributions for small and medium-sized enterprises.

·     It should also slash costly regulations that are holding back economic growth.

In a report released today (Monday) the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) calls on the government to take radical steps to kick-start employment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  The UK’s economic growth prospects depend on SMEs creating jobs to deliver a recovery. SMEs account for 99% of private sector firms, and should be exempted from much of the onerous regulatory and tax burdens that currently stifle their success.

Gimmicks such as ‘shares for rights’ and a government-funded business bank will not address the real barriers to SME growth and will only advantage a small percentage of small businesses. In order to restore confidence in the British economy and reduce the burden of regulation on small businesses, the report’s author, economic analyst Vuk Vukovic, proposes a set of policies the coalition government should implement immediately:

·     Abolish employers’ national insurance contributions. NI contributions are too high, particularly for microbusinesses.  Business surveys suggest that scrapping NICs for small businesses would create a minimum of 500,000 jobs (1).

·     Simplify the regulatory system for SMEs. This would reduce the costs of hiring lawyers and accountants to allow SMEs to comply with regulatory standards and therefore free up funds for profit-making activities. Our complex regulatory system is responsible for layoffs, stalled investments and lower profits and is one of the most severe constraints to UK competitiveness. Only a radical simplification of the system will free up small companies from the disproportionate costs of compliance.

·     Make it easier for SME employers to hire and fire workers. Britain’s employment laws are a barrier to SME expansion. The fear of tribunals and the difficulties in firing unproductive workers make it costly and dangerous for small companies to take on new employees. In reforming employment laws and adopting many of the Beecroft report proposals, hiring more employees will become attractive and increase labour-market flexibility.

·     Reverse the 5.6% hike in business rates. This increase was introduced in April 2012 and places another financial strain on small businesses that many cannot afford.

These proposals would allow SMEs to flourish by reducing costs and uncertainty about employment and industry regulations. The coalition government has failed to recognise the complex environment that SMEs operate in and the heavy costs that the government currently places on them. Only by cutting taxes and regulations for these businesses will we see real business growth in the SME sector.

Sam Bowman, Policy Director at the Adam Smith Institute says “We need a recovery led by private-sector job creation, but small and medium businesses are operating in a world of uncertainty and maddeningly complex regulation. The government needs to radically reduce the regulatory and tax burden on small and medium businesses before it can hope for a recovery.

“Employers’ NICs are a destructive stealth tax on jobs and should be scrapped, and employment regulation designed to protect workers is in fact condemning many of them to long-term unemployment. Implementing the proposals in this report would help to revitalize the private sector and deliver the jobs and economic growth that are so badly needed right now.” 

(1)    This statistic is based on information from FS and BCC which found that between 44% and 60% of small businesses would take on additional employees if the government ended employers’ NICs. The 500,000 new jobs is based on the lower figure of 44% and discounts sole proprietorships. 

Politicians shouldn't meddle with energy prices

He argues that the lack of transparency in energy tariffs is largely down to a lack of competition in energy provision. He also argues that the government has no business to tell suppliers what they should charge - people and households are different and only they can decide what is the best option for themselves. Ultimately it is competition and not politicians that could bring down energy prices successfully.

You can read his article here. 

Summary

Dr Eamonn Butler writes on the Spectator CoffeeHouse blog on Cameron's announcement to force energy companies to give customers the lowest tariff. 

Less regulation and lower taxes 'help struggling businesses'

You can read his article here.

Summary

Dr Eamonn Butler writes in a business supplement for the Daily Telegraph on the need for the government to help businesses by simplifying and lowering taxes and tacklng the burden of regulation.