Will the Pension Triple Lock Bankrupt Britain?Watch this video on YouTube In 1909, the UK provided the first state pension to those over 70. At the time, the average life expectancy was just 52. Since then, the average life expectancy has increased to over 81. But, the pension age today is 66. It means the …
How to Tax The Wealthy – Wealth Taxes Which WorkWatch this video on YouTube In the past two decades, average wages have stagnated and government debt has risen. It seems to be an era of austerity. But, it’s not all bad news. UK household wealth has reached a record £13.6 trillion – over six times …
House Prices – What Happens Next?Watch this video on YouTube Here is a graph that often surprises me. If we adjust UK house prices for inflation, they are the same level as 2003. In other words, if you bought a house in 2003, ignore the effects of inflation, then the average house hasn’t increased in …
UK Households Set to be POORER by 2030Watch this video on YouTube After 15 years of stagnating living standards, a new report suggests that after housing costs, real disposable income are likely to continue falling for the next five years. The decline will be felt by all income groups, but those on benefits, poorer households, …
Can European Economy Catch up and Overtake US Economy?Watch this video on YouTube It’s been a bad few years for the European economy – inflation, energy crisis, falling real wages and a stagnant economy – losing ground to China in the east and the US in the west. Whilst US GDP booms, Western Europe seems …
US Debt is Set to Massively INCREASE – Does it Matter?Watch this video on YouTube As a share of GDP, US debt is forecast to rise from the current level of 100% of GDP towards 180% by 2050. This is unprecedented – higher than the second world war. However, the recent budget resolution to …
There are many ways for statistics to be misleading. Firstly, governments can just outright lie and make up their own statistics. When inflation was too high in Argentina, the government ordered the statistics agency to reduce the inflation rate. Problem solved. In Soviet times, local officials would fall over themselves to produce statistics that iron …
It’s pretty easy to talk about the problems with the UK economy – 18 years of low growth, stagnant real wages, low productivity, low investment, housing costs through the roof. The numbers don’t lie. If past trends had continued from 2007, average households would be at least £8,000 a year better off. If we could …