Product Description

It's back and, depressingly, the figure is even bigger than last time. Welcome again to the world of waste. In this new edition of "The Bumper Book", Matthew Elliot and Lee Rotherham have unearthed a staggering GBP101 billion of government misspending - all paid for by you, the taxpayer. It's such an enormous figure it is difficult to get one's head around it. What could be done with GBP101 billion? Well, you could for example, paper the entire East Midlands and London with GBP5 notes, and still have a few billion left over to build one hell of a crane from which to admire your handiwork. Or even convert the GBP101 billion into one penny coins, pile them on top of each other, and reach the moon and back five times.But perhaps more usefully, the government could cut the tax burden of every household by over GBP4,000 a year.Mind blowing isn't it?Here are just a few examples of where all of that money has gone: GBP280,000 on a conference addressed by Blair and Brown on value for money in the public services; GBP400 million on 'cost control' for the Olympic Games; GBP3 million by tax inspectors at HM Revenue and Customs on flights, including GBP2.1 million on flights to Scotland; Over GBP16 million on the creation and upkeep of VIP lounges in Heathrow and Gatwick despite the fact they are not government-owned; GBP100,000 on assessing whether GBP400,000 reportedly spent on modern art for seven hospitals was money well spent. But then it's hardly a surprise that they don't have a tight grip on our finances when you see an official statistic from the government, claiming that an impressive 102 per cent of all 3 year olds are in nursery school. With this level of numeracy, no wonder we're in trouble! If you're a British taxpayer, you need to read this book - even though it will hurt.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144454 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 332 pages

About the Author
Matthew Elliott is co-founder and Chief Executive of The TaxPayers' Alliance, a pressure group launched in 2004 to represent taxpayers in the corridors of power and to fight for lower taxes. Now with over 15,000 supporters, it generates more media coverage than any other independent political organisation in the UK.Dr Lee Rotherham is also by background a linguist and historian. His Mediaeval Occitan was just one of several languages that proved to be absolutely useless when he acted as an advisor on the Convention that drafted the thoroughly despicable EU Constitution. He has advised three successive Shadow Foreign Secretaries, though the turnover wasn't his fault. A prominent Eurosceptic, hunted across the continent by bands of pro-Brussels politicians carrying lit torches and pitchforks, he has been widely published.

Customer Reviews

New Labour's Profligacy and Incompetence Exposed
I deducted a star in my review of the First Edition of this book, partly because I could not find any reference to Brown's reckless - and deceitful - use of PFI schemes, which are kept "off balance".

No such doubts about the second edition, which makes it quite clear what benefits we would all get from an efficiently run government machine.

The staggering figure of £101 billion (page 19) is almost beyond comprehension, but illustrates New Labour's catastrophic failure to spend our taxes wisely and carefully.

This book is more important than ever, now that government has responded to the credit crunch - and looming recession - by racking up borrowing which, on 14 October 2008, The Independent reported to be above 100 per cent of GDP for the first time in half a century.

Six days later, the same paper reported that borrowing is heading toward the £120 billion level.

Reflect on what it might be were it not for the level of waste unearthed by TaxPayer's Alliance! Almost a tenth that figure.

Further reflect on the burden being racked-up for our children and their children.

Is six stars possible, please Amazon?

A Must Read for Every Tax Payer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you have a week heart or high blood pressure this book is best avoided. Anyone else who doesn't read this book shouldn't be allowed to vote in the next General Election.

The level of sheer waste revealed in this book is absolutely frightening.

I couldn't put it down.

A very good, though slightly depressing overview of where and how government goes wrong
Ever wondered where some of our money goes? Well, look no further. If you were tearing your hair out about the useless quangos, the waste and mismanagement at government level and also wondered why we were running such a huge deficit, this books provides you with all the explanation. There are a number of repetitions and you will need to keep yourself cheerful somehow, but if ever there was a case for a drastic reduction in government size this book finally and unequivocally proves it.