Reeves should have included more tax reform in budget to help growth, IFS thinktank says – UK politics live

From 2h ago 11.04 GMT IFS says Reeves should have included more tax reform in budget to help growth The Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank has said that Rachel Reeves should have included more tax reform in her budget to deliver growth. Presenting the IFS’s assessment of the budget, Helen Miller, its director, said: Growth not only makes us richer, it makes almost every problem easier to solve. At the last budget the chancellor said, “Every budget I deliver will be focused on our mission to growth the economy”. That wasn’t on show yesterday. It was never going to be possible to do such a large tax rise and have that be good for growth. But – and I am fully aware that I sound like a broken record here – tax reform was the way to ensure that taxes don’t do more damage that necessary. The chancellor, like her predecessors, continues to shy away from meaningful tax reform that could move the dial. This felt mostly like the budget of a government trying to scrape through. Of course, no fiscal event can do everything, and reform is hard. But given the scale of the challenges we face, and given the government’s lofty rhetoric about change, and its ambitions on growth, I think we’re entitled to ask for more. Share

4m ago 12.38 GMT Starmer rejects claim from organisations like CBI and IFS budget shows government has lost interest in promoting growth Keir Starmer has been defending the budget in interviews with broadcasters while on a visit to a community centre in Rugby.