ONS

Productivity and the Office of National Stastics – why I was right all along

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How the ONS rewrote Britain’s productivity statistics, and why the government’s economic strategy has a rather awkward problem. Nine years ago I accidentally lied to the Office for National Statistics. I was taking part in the Labour Force Survey. My working hours varied enormously, the questionnaire wasn’t very good at coping with this, and eventually … Read more

The Wealth Tax Mirage: Why Reeves Won’t Wave Labour’s New Magic Wand

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Another Magic Wand The latest “big idea” in economics is wealth taxes. The claim: Britain’s collapsing public services and messy finances exist because the rich don’t pay enough, and governments are too timid to act. I’m always suspicious of these kinds of fads. The right had its laffer curves, trickle-down theory and efficient markets. The … Read more