Improving tax policy making - some emerging findings from our project

28 Jul 2016

CIOT members, other tax professionals and anyone else with an interest in how tax policy is made, are invited to comment on a new paper published by CIOT, the Institute for Government and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The Institute for Government, the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies launched our joint tax policy project in April 2016. Our aim is to work together to produce a clear set of recommendations to the Government, Opposition and other stakeholders on how to improve the UK tax policy making process and the process around Budgets. We are looking to launch proposals for reform later in the year.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the project so far. Whether you are among that number or not we invite you to read this nine page interim paper we have produced – ‘Improving tax policy making - Emerging findings – an invitation to comment’. As the title suggests the paper sets out some of the suggestions so far, grouped into ‘areas for future focus’ and invites comments.

We would welcome any comments by 2 September 2016, if possible, though earlier reactions would be very welcome. Please comment to [email protected] copying to me at [email protected].

We have grouped the challenges under the following themes:

  • Strategy: providing a long-term plan for tax policy
  • External engagement: consultation with practitioners and other external bodies
  • Internal Budget process: how Budget proposals are developed and tested
  • Legislation and legislative scrutiny: the role of Parliament in scrutinising tax measures
  • Post-legislative review: ex post review of tax measures
  • Capability: the skills and capacity of the HMT and HMRC workforce
  • Public debate: how public understanding informs or limits tax policy making

We would welcome comments in particular on:
(1) Which of the “areas for future focus” we set out under each theme here are the most important and /or have the most potential to improve the system
(2) How best to address the issues in those suggested areas

 Download Download Tax policymaking project post-roundtable paper FINAL.pdf (352.68 KB)

George Crozier, CIOT Head of External Relations and Project Lead on the Improving Tax Policy Making project
Thursday 28 July 2016