Government won't tackle tax system

Jack: Ministers reluctant to restructure tax systemMichael Jack, a former Financial Secretary to the Treasury and chairman of the Office of Tax Simplification, says recent governments have “shied away” from a “grown-up conversation” about the best and fairest way to raise the money needed to run the UK’s public services. Writing to the Times, he says governments “are frightened that such a debate would be seen as the precursor to higher taxes, not the dawn of a better tax system.” He adds that it “also reflects a reluctance to embark on major structural changes to the tax system.”