Evan loves tax

This is a quick plug for a 3-part series on Radio 4 this week, presented by Evan Davis and called Evan Loves Tax. The three episodes are being broadcast on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9am and 21.30 each day, and the first one yesterday was a fascinating mix of econmic history, political myopia and cigarette smuggling. Talking to three former chancellors - Nigel Lawson, Norman Lamont and Alasdair Darling - Evan looked at why, since the Second World War, public spending has just kept on rising, and why at the same time, politicians decided that paying for it by putting up income tax was unthinkable. The second episode will examine why the tax system is so complex, including the famous judgement about whether a Jaffa Cake is a cake or a biscuit, and why it matters, and also looks at tax avoidance schemes, then the third will ask how well we make decisions about tax in Britain, from the way we vote in elections to Chancellors and their Budgets.

Although the progammes are available on BBC i-player, each will only be there for 7 days so you need to move quickly if you think they may be useful as you examine fiscal policy in the UK!