TaxPayers’ Alliance Reforming taxes, cutting spending and protecting taxpayers Dear Supporter, or over eight years, the TaxPayers’ Alliance The publication of The Single Income Tax, the final F has campaigned for simpler, fairer and more report of the 2020 Tax Commission, is a vital step in competitive taxes and more efficient public services. setting out our plan for ambitious but realistic tax We hope you enjoy reading about some of our most reform. But we can’t let it gather dust on the shelf. recent achievements in the following pages. Over the next year we move on to the next phase of that project with hard-hitting campaigns making Our campaign works in three ways: through the case for tax reform. solid research which establishes the facts about the effects of high taxes and how your money is spent At the same time we need to expose wasteful (page 8); through strategic communications, spending, showing that the Government can and working with the media to inform the public (page must be more efficient. Ultimately, of course, the 10); and through sustained campaigning from best value comes when money is left in the pockets grassroots Action Days around the country to of the people who earned it. We will also stick up meetings with politicians in Westminster (page 12). for taxpayers, for example by stopping their cash being handed over to trade unions which then Our campaign is enhanced by our 75,000 disrupt public services with strikes. supporters and activists who have helped us push for reform and our grassroots activists have secured Thank you for supporting our work. some vital local wins. We really appreciate it, and everyone at the TaxPayers’ Alliance is looking forward to working With the economy in a dismal state, taxes rising and with you to reform taxes, cut spending and protect a huge deficit in the public finances, it has never taxpayers. been more important that we fight for lower taxes and cuts in wasteful spending. That is the only way With best wishes, we will get the economic growth, new jobs and higher wages that Britain needs. Our campaign objectives are reforming taxes (page 26); cutting spending (page 28) and Matthew Elliott Andrew Allum Matthew Sinclair The TaxPayers’ Alliance protecting taxpayers (page 30) and we will be Founder Chairman Chief Executive 55 Tufton Street fighting for policy change in those areas. London SW1P 3QL Telephone: 0845 330 9554 Email: [email protected] The TaxPayers’ Alliance is a Company Limited by Guarantee in England No. 04873888 Welcome A local TPA activist signing up new (and future!) supporters Jonathan Isaby making the case for tax reform at No. 10 John O’Connell discussing the TPA’s research at an international conference Our operations team keeping supporters Our Campaign Manager attacking updated with regular mailings wasteful spending 3 TPA staff past and present celebrating the launch of the 2020 Tax Commission report – The Guardian “Arguably the most influential pressure group in the country” Meet the team CAMPAIGNS GRASSROOTS FOUNDERS Matthew Elliott Matthew Sinclair Jonathan Isaby Andrew Allison Founder Chief Executive Political Director National Grassroots Coordinator Matthew launched the TaxPayers’ Matthew has a BSc in Jonathan joined the TPA in Alliance in 2004 as a non-partisan Economics and Economic August 2011 after more than a Andrew was born and grassroots campaign for lower History and an MSc in decade in political journalism, raised in Co. Durham. taxes and better public spending. Economic History from having worked for the BBC, He launched the Hull and Under his leadership, the TPA has the LSE. He joined the TPA Daily Telegraph and East Riding branch of the grown to become “arguably the in 2007 as a Policy ConservativeHome.com. He TPA in 2009 and became most influential pressure group in the country” Analyst and was then coordinates the TPA’s work National Grassroots according to the Guardian, with over 75,000 promoted to be Research Director and then campaigning in the media and Parliament, and Coordinator in October 2010, overseeing the supporters and a high media profile. the campaign’s first overall Director engages with journalists and politicians to make the work of activists across the country. managing the day-to-day campaign. As the case for lower taxes and more efficient public services. Matthew also founded Big Brother Watch (BBW) in recently appointed Chief Executive, he is now 2009 to campaign for civil and personal liberties. BBW leading the TPA in its fight to reform taxes, cut has become a leading voice in this debate, winning spending and protect taxpayers. Robert Oxley Tim Newark praise for its research and campaigns from leading Campaign Manager Grassroots Coordinator activists such as Henry Porter and long-standing groups Matthew has written and edited pioneering Robert studied International Tim is an historian and such as NO2ID. research – including the books How to Cut Relations and Politics at the author. He is also a veteran Public Spending and Let Them Eat Carbon and University of Sheffield. He local campaigner, once From September 2010 to May 2011, Matthew took a the landmark report The Single Income Tax. worked in the House of founding his own political sabbatical from the TPA and BBW to lead the NOtoAV He also represents the TPA in major broadcast Commons before joining the party to stand as an campaign in the nationwide referendum on changing interviews and at parliamentary hearings and TPA. He focuses on independent councillor. Britain’s electoral system. The NO campaign won by a other high-level meetings. communicating the TPA’s margin of over two to one, defeating electoral reform work to the media. by 67.9 per cent to 32.1 per cent. Matthew, Andrew Allum and Matthew Sinclair provide the strategic leadership for the TPA. OPERATIONS Andrew Allum Emma Bennett Sara Rainwater Maria Fort Chairman Operations Director Development Director Scheduling & Outreach Andrew graduated from Imperial Emma has a BA in Sara studied international Maria studied International College with a First in Physics International Relations Relations in the USA and has Affairs in the USA and has before taking a Masters at Oxford from Exeter University. an MSc in European Studies an MSc from the LSE in University. Before becoming the Emma joined the TPA in from the LSE. She joined the European Politics. After unpaid, non-executive TPA November 2009 and was TPA in 2008 as Operations joining the TPA in 2011 from Chairman, Andrew served as a promoted to Operations Director and is now the NOtoAV Campaign and Westminster City Councillor. He Director in January 2011. overseeing the TPA’s outreach Big Brother Watch, she now currently works as a Partner at a She is responsible for the organisation and programme, special projects and events. works closely with the operations team and the leading strategy consulting firm. finances of the TPA. TPA’s Founder, Matthew Elliott. 4 RESEARCH RESEARCH COUNCIL WHERE ARE THEY NOW? John O’Connell Rory Meakin Mike Denham The TPA has helped launch the careers of many Research Director Research Associate Research Fellow key players in the fields of politics and policy- John has an MSc in Rory studied Economics Mike studied PPE at making. Here’s what a few of our former staff Meet the team European Public Policy from and Politics at Oxford University, and are now doing: UCL. He joined the TPA in Southampton University has an MA in Economics February 2009 as an intern and holds the Investment from the LSE. He is a James Frayne and has since risen to Management Certificate. former Treasury (Campaign Director, 005-07) become Research Director. Before joining the TPA, he economist who worked Director of Communications, As well as overseeing the worked in the public sector extensively on public Department for Education 2020 Tax Commission, John manages the TPA’s for the NHS. Rory concentrates on spending and fiscal analysis during the 1970s busy and wide-ranging research programme. economics, finance and taxation. and 1980s. Blair Gibbs (Campaign Director, 006-07) Head of Crime & Justice, Chris Daniel Dominique Lazanski Dr. Lee Rotherham Policy Exchange Policy Analyst Digital Policy Analyst Research Fellow Chris has an MA in Politics Dominique has an MSc in Lee has led the TPA’s EU from Lancaster University. Information Systems research since 2009 and our Corin Taylor He joined the TPA in Management from the ‘Stop the EU Rip-Off’ (Research Director, 006-09) September 2010 and his LSE. She holds a BA from campaign. He has also Senior Policy Advisor, work concentrates on local Cornell University and is written two books on the Institute of Directors government waste and currently working on her subject – Ten Years On and public sector productivity. PhD. She has spent over 12 The EU in a Nutshell. He has years in the Internet industry with many advised three Shadow Foreign Secretaries and Fiona McEvoy of those years working in Silicon Valley. worked as Chief of Staff to the Rt Hon David (Campaign Manager, 007-10) Heathcoat-Amory MP. Campaign Manager, Charities Aid Foundation INTERNS Mark Wallace “It was an amazing work Research Fellow experience, where I got to Mark was previously Susie Squire see and learn how we can Campaign Director at the (Campaign Manager, 008-09) all make a difference for a TPA. He is now Head of Head of Press, better and fairer UK.” Media Relations at the Conservative Party – Sandra Fischetti Institute of Directors. Jennifer Dunn (Policy Analyst, 009-10) “The TPA is a wonderful organisation Policy Researcher, at which to intern, offering invaluable Countryside Alliance insight into UK tax policy and its implications for society.” – Babatunde Onabajo 5 Campaign overview Phase 1 Solid research Phase 2 Strategic communications By publishing reliable research, using Focus groups and opinion polls Newspapers and all available media to communicate our messages and knowing the right Market research is used to magazines doors on which to knock, we are identify how we can best make the case for lower Newspapers are critical proud to be influencing the public taxes and demonstrate to in reaching millions of policy debate like never before.