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“The latest GDP data show that the UK economy is being taxed and regulated to a standstill. The “steady as she goes” Spring Statement now looks even more like a missed opportunity to change course.

https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/IEA_DP147_The-Genius-of-Adam-Smith_v3-Digital-1.pdf In the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith argues that individuals ...

On the 250th anniversary of the publication of The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith’s vision of freedom and competition remains as relevant as ever A new IEA paper argues that The Wealth of Nations ...

April 19 2016, Free Republic, Bernie’s right – America should be more like Sweden; But not in the way he thinks April 19 2016, Reason, Bernie’s right – America should be more like Sweden; But not in ...

This article was first published on the Institute of Economic Affairs Substack. Official figures recently published by HMRC indicate a huge rise in illicit tobacco sales in the UK since 2021. The ...

Socialism is popular in the UK – not just among students, but also among people in their 30s and 40s. This is confirmed by survey after survey. Surveys also show that support for socialism in general ...

The overview highlights the academic consensus on harmful consequences. Most studies (56 out of 65) find that rent controls succeed in lowering rents for controlled units, as intended. However, 14 out ...

Research from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) confirms younger people are hostile to capitalism and hold positive views of socialist alternatives. The new paper should act as a “wake up call” ...

Each year, the Government publishes international energy price comparisons. The data is sourced from the IEA and covers industrial and domestic gas and electricity prices. The latest data for 2023 was ...

Sin taxes can cost poor families up to ten times more than they cost the wealthy There should be no debate about whether taxes on food, alcohol, tobacco and soft drinks (‘sin taxes’) are regressive.

Measuring taxation and government spending as a proportion of national income is beset with difficulties. However, it is clear that there has been a strong upward trend in taxation and government ...