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John Oconnell

John Oconnell

City A.M.

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Brits are being taxed for the crime of going on holiday

Brits are being taxed for the crime of going on holiday

Hard-working families spend all year saving for a well-deserved holiday, whether abroad or here in the UK. Yet wherever they go, the taxman is never...

24.08.2026 10

LBC

John Oconnell

The only thing that’s growing in Britain is the civil service

Image generated by ChatGPT The salary bill for the civil service rose to £21bn last year, up more than seven per cent in a year when economic...

05.02.2026 10

City A.M.

John Oconnell

GDP is the fairest way to decide pay rises for MPs

27.01.2026 10

The Spectator

John Oconnell

Make this the year Britain stops punishing wealth creators

London's skyline is set to dramatically change in the next few years Britain is now a £1 trillion tax state with the biggest differential between...

10.01.2026 20

City A.M.

John Oconnell

Labour believes success is something to be ashamed of

Rachel Reeves slapped inheritance tax on family businesses Two successive Budgets have done unspeakable damage to small and medium sized firms...

11.12.2025 40

City A.M.

John Oconnell

If income tax thresholds remain frozen benefits should too

(Joe Giddens - WPA Pool/Getty Images) Consistency matters. If the fiscal situation is truly so dire that tax thresholds must remain frozen, then the...

14.11.2025 20

City A.M.

John Oconnell

The public won’t reward government overspending – just as Ed Miliband

BEDFORD, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Labour leader Ed Miliband speaks to party supporters during a rally at the Addison Centre in Kempston on May 5, 2015 in...

11.09.2025 20

City A.M.

John Oconnell

The ‘university for all’ rhetoric is hurting students and the taxpayer

Decades of “university for all” rhetoric is hurting students whose degrees no longer pay off, and taxpayers who are stumping up the cost, writes...

13.08.2025 20

City A.M.

John Oconnell

Tax, tax and more tax. Does Rachel Reeves not know there’s another way?

Wealth taxes, pension raids, inheritance tax, does Labour really not know there’s another option, asks John O’Connell There are recipients of...

10.07.2025 20

City A.M.

John Oconnell

Spending review: Labour’s economy is austerity for the taxpayer

Dear Chancellor, ‘austerity’ isn’t just about reducing public expenditure – it also applies to tax hikes, writes John O’Connell in response...

13.06.2025 30

City A.M.

John Oconnell