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Reposted by Matthew Oulton

The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

💡 Want to work at the Institute for Fiscal Studies? We're currently recruiting for the following roles with November deadlines ⬇️ 📊 Research Economist (apply by 8 November) 📊 Research Economist - postdoctoral (apply by 15 November) 📊 Postdoctoral Fellow (apply by 15 November)

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Bee Boileau @beeboileau.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Higher prices could encourage more building. But IFS research finds that housing supply in England responds weakly to higher prices, so the scheme may do more to raise prices than to increase supply. ifs.org.uk/publications...

ifs.org.uk

The determinants of local housing supply in England | Institute for Fiscal Studies

We estimate local housing supply elasticities for 325 local authorities and 6,788 census tract areas in England.

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Bee Boileau @beeboileau.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The government’s proposed ‘Your First Home’ scheme would offer eligible first-time buyers in England 20% equity loans on new-builds, with deposits as low as 2.5%. What could it mean for buyers and the housing market? 🧵 below:

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Matthew Oulton @matthewoulton.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Probably one of the most striking charts from our recent report, and important information for framing discussion about PIP: disability benefit claims have increased at all ages, (though especially for younger claimants), and it’s still older people who are most likely to claim.

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Xiaowei Xu @xiaoweixu.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Guys we've got a new puzzle: why have hours fallen so much? Based on ONS's new approach, average hours worked are down 5% since 2007 (before the financial crisis), 2% since pre-Covid.

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Matthew Oulton @matthewoulton.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

New report out today with @eduinlatimer.bsky.social and Tom Waters discussing and modelling options to reform PIP

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Gautam Vyas @gautamvyas.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Do rent controls actually reduce housing costs for private renters? What do they do to the availability and quality of rental housing – and to who lives where? All this and more in @matthewoulton.bsky.social’s new explainer – read below!

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Matthew Oulton @matthewoulton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

NEW: Private renters are spending more than ever on housing (28% income in 2024-25), fuelling debate about rent controls. But do rent controls work? My new explainer with Tom Wernham for @theifs.bsky.social interrogates the research about their effects in practice (🧵):

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

NEW: What are rent controls? How do they impact renters, landlords and rental properties? And are they the answer the UK’s historically high housing costs? 📗 @matthewoulton.bsky.social and Tom Wernham review the evidence in our new explainer on the effects of rent controls ⬇️

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Eduin Latimer @eduinlatimer.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

This is the most important chart for understanding how working-age benefit spending has changed over last two decades. In overall levels spending as % of GDP is lower now that it was in 2012, but the composition of that spending is very different.

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Max Warner @maxwarner.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

We have a comment in the Times today on how yesterday's VAT cut will be paid for. The money has to come from somewhere within departmental budgets, but we don't know what will be squeezed. That's different to the bus fares policy, where more specific cuts have been set out

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

"This reform reduces one arbitrary distinction in the tax system while increasing another. A simpler system of pensions taxation is possible." 📰 Read @matthewoulton.bsky.social & @laurenceobrien.bsky.social's article in FT Adviser on the latest pension tax reform: www.ftadviser.com/content/387f...

ftadviser.com

Pensions tax reform is a step in the wrong direction

In last November’s Budget the chancellor announced a significant change to the taxation of pensions.

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Matthew Oulton @matthewoulton.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Data on NEETs are often low quality. But we have good information on payrolled employees, and the picture here suggests employment has fallen substantially for young adults in the years after they’d normally enter the labour market

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

NEW: The new tax on salary sacrifice pension contributions are set to hit higher earners in the private sector the hardest. 📗 @laurenceobrien.bsky.social & @matthewoulton.bsky.social’s new report examines who will be most affected by changes to how salary sacrifice pension contributions are taxed:

Chart shows mean extra yearly National Insurance contributions per employee assuming no behavioural change, by earnings decile. Title states: "Mean extra yearly National Insurance contributions per employee assuming no behavioural change, by earnings decile."

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Nick Ridpath @nickridpath.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

The House of Lords Economic Affairs committee has just published a report on the fiscal framework. One fairly major suggestion: that the government set out an additional fiscal target, in which debt as a share of GDP is lower in the third year of the forecast than in the first year in normal times

committees.parliament.uk

Fortifying the fiscal framework report published - Committees - UK Parliament

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has today published its report, ‘Fortifying the fiscal framework’.

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Matthew Oulton @matthewoulton.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

An SSAC report today highlights a huge difference in the treatment by the benefit system of young people aged 16-19 depending on if they remain in full time education or pursue an apprenticeship. What does this mean for apprenticeships? THREAD:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

NEW: The government’s decision to abolish the Carbon Price Support is “a welcome, if small, step towards more uniform taxation of carbon emissions.” 📗 Read Stuart Adam, Isaac Delestre, @peterlevell.bsky.social and Bobbie Upton's response to the announcement here: ifs.org.uk/articles/res...

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Matthew Oulton @matthewoulton.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Many of the weirdest and worst features of our tax system are small things that distort incentives or contradict other objectives pursued elsewhere in the tax system. The government’s decision is a small step towards a more sensible approach to taxing carbon.

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Tom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

2. The gap between rich & poor areas is roughly a decade for lifespan & roughly 2 decades for good health Life expectancy: recovered a bit from pandemic era, but is still worse than before. So prolonged sliippage Healthy life: expectancy actually worse than pandemic era

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Tom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

1. Powerful visualisation of the cast-iron link between deprivation, health and lifespans One of the most important official data sets there is ... Full report here ... www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...

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Max Warner @maxwarner.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

One thing I find really striking on defence spending: the Strategic Defence Review was meant to be deliverable with *slower* defence spending than currently planned. The govt accepted all its recommendations. But it's long looked very ambitious to deliver within spending plans

Text from SDR saying that it was conducted within a context of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence

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Matthew Oulton @matthewoulton.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Some incredibly important findings here for housing policy. The demand-side policies adopting the last couple of decades mostly helped relatively high earners

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

NEW: Upcoming changes to universal credit this April will have a significant impact on the incomes of millions of people. What changes are coming in and how will this affect incomes? @matthewoulton.bsky.social and Tom Waters explain: [THREAD]

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Aitor Irastorza-Fadrique @aitor-if.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

1/ The labour market has seen significant changes in recent decades. With automation accelerating, more is coming. Can workers switch jobs fast enough to keep up? We study how reallocation across occupations shapes wages, employment and inequality. #EconSky New WP ⬇️ ifs.org.uk/publications...

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

NEW: A look ahead to the Spring Forecast @beeboileau.bsky.social, Carl Emmerson, @matthewoulton.bsky.social, Isabel Stockton & @benzaranko.bsky.social look at the Chancellor’s options in the upcoming Spring Forecast: [THREAD: 1/6]

Chart showing a simple extrapolation from the most recent out-turn to the final two months of the financial year suggests borrowing in 2024–25 might be £16 billion above the October 2024 forecast.

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Tao Chen @taochen.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

4a/Where does this inequality arise? It turns out that most of the differences in inflation rates across households is not because of differences across categories or types, rather it is driven by differences in what exact products they buy *within* categories.

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Soumaya Keynes @soumayakeynes.ft.com · 15/11/2024

How to dodge a tariff My column this week for the @financialtimes.com 1st 300 clicks free to read... on.ft.com/3CDBKzA

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