Globalisation:Taxpayers' Alliance

Ross McLauchlan Catherine MacDonald Angela Devine Katie Blair

History and Ideology

The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) is a British pressure group formed to tackle the lack of an adequate taxpayers’ organisation in the UK. Founded in 2004 by Andrew Allum, Matthew Elliott and Florence Heath, the Taypayers’ Alliance is Britain's independent, non-partisan campaign for low a tax society and better services (http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/home/history.html).

Starting out as a volunteer operation, the TPA first came to the attention of the national media with the publication of the first “Bumper Book of Government Waste”. The reception of this research, alongside the strong support led to a rapid and sustained expansion (http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/home/history.html).

With a full-time team of staff working out of its office in the heart of Westminster, the TPA has firmly established itself as the country's leading voice on transparency and accountability in government; with registered supporters increasing from 5,000 in its first year to a current figure of almost 60,000 supporters. The TPA has also been at the forefront of campaigns against MPs' expenses abuses, the need for public spending transparency, the growth of the quango state, the costs and wastefulness of the EU, and excessive executive public sector pay, among others (http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/home/history.html).

Despite the alleged non-partisan nature of the TPA, it has been accused of being a Conservative Party "front”, with all three founders, and a number of TPA staff members being affiliated with the Conservative Party and have strong links with the Freedom Association. Alliance backers, such as Anthony Bamford, a director of Staffordshire-based JC Bamford, have also donated large sums of money to the Conservative Party (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/09/taxpayers-alliance-conservative-pressure-group). However, the group's leadership has denied such an affiliation with the Conservative party.

The TPA has also recently come under scrutiny from the Charity Commission following claims that the TPA was using a charitable branch of its organisation, the Politics and Economics Research trust, to fund politically motivated research (http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/archive/975375/Charity-Commission-opens-investigation-Taxpayers-Alliance/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH).

The TaxPayers' Alliance is Britain's independent grassroots campaign for lower taxes. After years of being ignored by politicians of all parties, the TPA is committed to forcing politicians to listen to ordinary taxpayers. The mission of the TPA is "to reverse the perception that big government is necessary and irreversible; to explain the benefits of a low tax economy; to give taxpayers a voice in the corridors of power; to oppose EU tax harmonisation.” (http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/home/mission.html).

To this end, the TaxPayers' Alliance intends to: oppose all tax rises; oppose EU tax harmonisation; criticise all examples of wasteful and unnecessary spending; and champion opportunities for votes on tax and spending (http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/home/mission.html).

Funding

Since the Taxpayers Alliance was launched six years ago, it has become the most influential pressure groups in the country and yet it refuses to publish details of its benefactors and how it manages to pay for its £1 million a year operation. An investigation by the Guardian has determined that it is funded largely from wealthy donors, many of whom are prominent supporters of the Conservative party. The Midlands Industrial Council for example, which has donated £1.5m to the Conservatives since 2003, said it has given the Taxpayers Alliance around £80,000 on behalf of 32 owners of private companies.

Tony Gallagher, owner of Gallagher UK, a property company that gave the Conservatives £250,000 in 2007, is also a member of the Midlands Industrial Council. Gallagher Developments owns land with planning consent for six million square feet of commercial development, and an investment portfolio of around 2.7 million square feet of retail parks throughout the country. Gallagher UK therefore continues to be one of the most successful privately-owned commercial and residential property development and investment companies in the UK, with net assets valued at around £450 million.

Another benefactor is Christopher Kelly who owns the international haulage firm Keltruck. He was a member of the Conservative Party's Midlands Regional Finance Board, the West Midlands Council of Business for Sterling (part of the no campaign against the euro) and the Business Council of Vote No (part of the no campaign against the European Constitution). Kelly is also a past member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) and has represented Keltruck within the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Investigations by The Charity Commission have suggested that the Tax Payers Aliance (TPA) have gained funding from 'The Politics and Economics Trust,' a charity it runs seperately from the TPA. Tax Payers Alliance Denies 'political research claims' The Guardian have claimed that the TPA may have used the charity they are linked with to gain tax relief and Gift Aid usually used for good causes, for political research. The alliance is able, through the charity it set up, to gain subsidies of up to 40% of the donation of an individual. Tory tax allies 'subsidised' by the taxpayer In order to do this, it is claimed that the TPA asked buisness men to fund the alliance through the trust. Under guidelines of the Charity Commission organisations cannot be both charitable and politically motivated.

Cheif Executive of the TPA, Michael Elliot, states that the grants obtained through the Politics and Economics Research Trust have funded research which has been looked at with an open mind. He states that none of the grants have gone to any political activity. However, John Prescott, former deputy PM, claims that the TPA are exploitive rather than representative and he has written to the Charity Commission to demand that they suspend the TPA's status as a charity. Taxpayers' Alliance charitable arm under tax investigation

People

Andrew Allum Chairman Matthew Elliot Chief Executive.Elliot is also the cheif excecutive of Big Brother Watch,a campaign"Fighting intrusions on privacy and protecting civil liberties"supported by the TPA. Florance Heath Co-Founder Sara Rainwater Operations Director Emma Bennett Executive Assistant Matthew Sinclair Director John O'Connell Deputy Research Director.

Research

The TPA carries out research into public spending, taxation and broader economic policy. The alliance claims to be a primary source which is used by ordinary people as well as media workers and academics. Research Archive For example, the TPA may research issues such as MP's Expenses abuses and the cost of wastefullness of the E.U. It claims to be an non-partisan in it's campaigns and research. History

However, it has been claimed that the BBC's Helen Boaden has stated that she does not think the TPA are non-partisan. Furthermore she said she would discuss ways in which to avoid reporting the alliance as a non-partisan organisation in the future. This was in reply to a letter written by John Prescott who complained that the BBC had been reporting the TPA as impartial. It is suggested by many that the TPA are a Conservative front and therefore a change in the way they are reported by the BBC could be seen as necesary. BBC Agrees TPA not an Impartial Body