As rumours swirl about which taxes Rachel Reeves may target in the Autumn Budget, Tim Sarson lays out what the Chancellor can (and should) do

Budget speculation season seems to come around earlier every year. We’re fresh back from our summer breaks and already looking forward with some trepidation to the autumn. It seems we should add the rumours and kite-flying that precede the Budget to the list of slightly bittersweet August signals that summer is nearly over, like the start of the football season and back to school uniform sales.

What makes this speculation all the more bittersweet, or just straight up bitter, is the fact that nobody’s talking about tax cuts or a spending bonanza. It seems all of us – politicians, advisers, journalists, the general public – are resigned to taxes going up. The only question is where, and on whom or what.

What tax changes are being considered?

All sorts of measures are being mooted. Some appear to be carefully flown kites emanating from somewhere within government to gauge the public appetite, while others may be wishful thinking or gentle lobbying, particularly over ways in which last year’s inheritance tax changes might be restructured before they come into force. Yet more........

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