New Year Resolutions

A few days late, but here are some policy ideas that I hope might be picked up by the opposition:
Make payment of the living wage mandatory, outlaw zero-hours contracts and exploitation through unpaid work. This will help people on dismally low pay and will also stimulate the economy.
Renationalise the railways and electricity and gas supply. Reverse some other privatisations, jettison PFI and put an end to existing contracts wherever possible.
Prioritise manufacturing and ensure government purchases of British rather than foreign produced goods.
Phase in a reversal of the benefit cuts.
Stop the government’s disguised health service cuts and offer clear support for the NHS.
Undertake a big drive on insulation and get to grips with fuel poverty.
Facilitate local authorities in re-establishing municipal banks.
Introduce a scheme to pay decent interest on the first £10k of savings. Stop forcing government backed savings and investment schemes to parrot the private sector.
Crack down effectively on payday lenders and drive these and other usurers out of business.
Roll back increases in tuition fees.
Invest in a consistent and effective low carbon energy strategy including a tidal barrage.
Encourage domestic agriculture and the local sourcing of foods.
Support fair trade and gather support to roll back globalisation.
Recognise that some ‘markets’ are little better than rackets.
Stop ruining Local Government, devolve something other than cuts and costs and help them with the unfunded equal pay legislation.
Increase the public funding of political parties to remove malign influence, policy bias and other favouritism associated with big financial donors.
Outlaw political lobbying by commercial interests. Distinguish this from legitimate campaigning.

As well as the increased tax revenue from the higher level of economic activity that would result from implementation of these proposals, further revenue to support these policies and reduction of costs could be gained from:
An international financial transactions tax favoured by Europe and opposed by the present government.
Ensuring that rich individuals and companies actually pay taxes. This will in part require international collaboration on the abolition of tax havens and the introduction of a globalised tax regime.
Make National Insurance contributions flat rate. Approximately 7% on incomes without upper limit would bring in as much as the present system that favours the rich. A higher rate of NI contributions would bring in considerably more.
Restore the 50% top rate of income tax.
Make more frequent use of windfall taxes on excessive profits.
Allow local authorities to introduce two extra bands of council tax.
Axe the use of private sector consultants by national government.

Well, it’s a new year and one may as well begin optimistically!