WTA Blog

Property Rights Alliance released the world’s first International Trade Barrier Index. The Index ranks 86 countries on their use of the most the direct barriers to trade: tariffs, non-tariff measures, and services restrictions, as well as their ability to facilitate trade.

Property Rights Alliance, in partnership with the Foundation for Economic Freedom and Minimal Government Thinkers in the Philippines, released the 2019 International Property Rights Index. The Index measures the strength of physical property rights, intellectual property rights, and the legal and political environments that enforce them.

In October 2019, the Spanish Taxpayers Union (Unión de Contribuyentes) launched the third edition of its Regional Tax Competitiveness Index. T

On October 2nd, the Tax Foundation released the 2019 International Tax Competitiveness Index, which compares OECD countries on over 40 variables that measure how well each country’s tax system promotes sustainable economic growth and investment.

Thanks to the efforts of my team at the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s efforts, plans to increase probate fees up to £6,000 have been scrapped. On October 12th the Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced that a proposed rise in probate fees had been abolished. This is another huge victory for the TPA and taxpayers. It is terrific news that the justice minister has put the final nail in the coffin for this hated stealth death tax.

Each year Contribuables Associés issues a ranking of MPs – this time a positive one, looking at those who have championed taxpayers.

A Financial Times event gathered regulators, policy makers, academics and senior industry leaders in Prague to discuss the role, principles and impact of “better regulation”. After an address to the event by Andrej Babiš, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, John O’Connell, Chairman and President of World Taxpayers Associations took to the stage with:

Save the date! On November 13th Asociación de Contribuyentes del Perú is celebrating their second Taxpayers Regional Forum in Peru. If you happen to be in Peru, put it on your agenda.
You can register here.

On 10 September, the German Taxpayers’ Association celebrated its 70th birthday in Berlin in front of around 700 invited guests from politics, business, science, culture and with its members.
The keynote speaker was none other than Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel. Her presence was important in several respects. In her speech, she praised the work of the Taxpayers’ Association, she stressed the necessity of tax cuts which was a great vote of confidence in our work.

On October 23, the National Taxpayers Union celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a gala dinner in Washington, DC featuring more than 300 guests from the organization’s past and present. Lawmakers, state governors, and other public officials were in attendance to view a video on the history of NTU — including an interview from the year 1974 of the organization’s founder on the famous American television program “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”