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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 14h

NEW: How will the new triple lock work and what effects will it have? 📊 Jonathan Cribb, @heidikarj.bsky.social and @helenmiller.bsky.social's new comment explains how the new triple lock would work, how much it would cost and how it compares to the previous triple lock: ifs.org.uk/articles/how...

Chart is an illustration of how the new triple lock would operate compared to the old triple lock.

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 14h

How much would the new reformed triple lock announced by Andy Burnham this afternoon save compared to the old system? 📺 @helenmiller.bsky.social explains on BBC Politics Live:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 14h

"The old triple lock is gone. And the new triple lock still keeps pace with average earnings, but doesn't have the ratchet." 📺 @helenmiller.bsky.social interprets the Prime Minister's triple lock announcement in her response to the speech on BBC Politics Live:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 15h

“Better reforms were available, but this one is a big improvement. It will not, however, be the answer to funding universal social care.” ⬇️ IFS Deputy Director Jonathan Cribb responds to the Prime Minister’s triple lock announcement at this afternoon’s Labour Conference: ifs.org.uk/articles/new...

Quote from IFS Deputy Director Jonathan Cribb: "It is great news that Andy Burnham has neutered the worst element of the triple lock. Goodbye to the unsustainable ‘ratchet’ effect. State pensions will still rise, but more sustainably. Better reforms were available, but this one is a big improvement. It will not, however, be the answer to funding universal social care."

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17h

How could the adult social care system be made more fair? 🎙️ @helenmiller.bsky.social and Sir Andrew Dilnot discuss the issues with the social care system, from our recent podcast on what it would take to fix social care:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17h

💡 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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Peter Levell @peterlevell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

'Your First Home' looks similar to the Help to Buy home equity loan scheme that ended in 2023. Based on what's been said so far, it will be more targeted to those on lower incomes. This helps prevent benefits from flowing to can afford to buy a house anyway, but also increases risk. See below 👇

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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

Our research on the 2013 Help to Buy schemes found that the biggest affordability gains went to higher-income people, likely helping them buy a few years sooner rather than making a difference to whether they bought at all. ifs.org.uk/articles/who...

ifs.org.uk

Who benefits from ‘Help to Buy’ schemes? | Institute for Fiscal Studies

We examine the effect of the UK’s ‘Help to Buy’ schemes on housing affordability using a new approach to uncover effects for different households.

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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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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"Good to hear those two big things: fiscal discipline and growth. But we don't yet really know how the Chancellor is going to actually achieve those things." @helenmiller.bsky.social responds to the Chancellor's conference speech on BBC Politics Live:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

What did IFS Director @helenmiller.bsky.social think of the Chancellor's speech at today's Labour Party Conference? Watch below ⬇️

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"The big pressure [...] is coming from these big spending pledges." @helenmiller.bsky.social discusses the economic challenges facing the Chancellor on BBC Politics Live ahead of the Chancellor's speech. 📺 Watch the reaction live here: bbc.in/4hhJPfn

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"The big pressure is not coming from the fiscal forecast, it's coming from these big spending pledges. The government is spending more money than it raises in taxes, it has a plan to get that to come together again but also a shopping list of things it wants to do." 🎤 Helen Miller on Politics Live:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

📊 #IFSSatStat: Primary school pupil numbers in England fell by 5% between 2018-19 and 2025-26, with teacher and class numbers falling by 4%. This hasn’t yet translated into significant school closures. As the number of pupils continues to decline, this might become more likely.

Chart shows percentage changes in primary school pupil, teacher, school and class numbers across England (January 2019 to January 2026). Title states: "Across England, there have been big falls in pupil and teacher numbers, with a 10.5% and 12.9% reduction in London respectively."

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Jakob Schneebacher @jschneebacher.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Come work at the IFS! You’ll get to work on the big issues facing the country with colleagues whose passion, smarts and helpfulness humble me every day. Deadline: 8 November.

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Eduin Latimer @eduinlatimer.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Great to be on the @theifs.bsky.social podcast again. This time to discuss options for reforming PIP

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

NEW PODCAST: Do disability benefits need reform? @helenmiller.bsky.social, Tom Waters, and @eduinlatimer.bsky.social look at how PIP works, why claims are rising and what choices the government face as it considers reforming disability benefits. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/do-...

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

NEW: Should utilities such as water, energy and transport come under public control? In deciding, the government needs to confront important trade-offs. Part of the 2026 IFS Green Budget, our new explainer sets out what greater public control or ownership could look like ⬇️

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Peter Levell @peterlevell.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A fantastic career opportunity for those interested in a role that combines policy writing with cutting-edge economic research 👇

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

📢 Interested in working at the Institute for Fiscal Studies? We are currently recruiting Research Economists to join the IFS team in Autumn 2027. ➡️ Apply via this link by 8 November 2026: app.beapplied.com/apply/udmayp...

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

NEW: School funding per pupil is now expected to rise by 9% in real terms between 2025–26 and 2028–29, more than twice the growth that was expected at last year’s Spending Review. But why is this, and what does this mean for schools? [THREAD] ⬇️

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

📢 Join us for the IFS Green Budget 2026 Wed 14 Oct | 9:30-11:15am | In-person & online Hear our insights on the UK economic outlook, public finance challenges and options for the Chancellor. Funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org and Barclays. 📅 Sign up: ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-g...

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

EVENT: Sharing income tax revenues with England’s mayors Fri 2 Oct | 10:00-11:00 | Online Hear researchers explain the choices and risks of giving England's mayoral authorities a share of local income tax. Funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org and CIPFA 📅 Sign up: ifs.org.uk/events/shari...

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Gautam Vyas @gautamvyas.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Come and work with us! We're hiring a research assistant to work across UCL and IFS on applied micro/IO/public econ questions in food policy. A great opportunity for anyone considering an econ PhD to develop their research skills/experience across two brilliant research environments. Apply below 👇

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

🏢 Want to work with the IFS? @ucl.ac.uk is hiring a Research Assistant, with the successful applicant working across teams based at UCL and IFS. Apply via the UCL website by 30 September 2026 here: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"The question is not only whether the justice system is adequately funded, but whether the resources it has are being used as well as they could be." 📰 Imran Rasul and Magdalena Domínguez on the pressures facing the justice system for Civil Service World: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...

civilserviceworld.com

The justice system's problems are not just about money

Why higher spending, without attention to how resources are used, may not translate into better outcomes

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Luke Sibieta @lukesibieta.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I was delighted to chat with @tom-richmond.com again on his Inside Your Ed podcast. We talked all things PISA, why most countries are seeing declines in results and why England seems to be bucking that trend @theifs.bsky.social

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Why doesn’t the UK have a land value tax? 🎙️ @helenmiller.bsky.social explains how some countries have implemented land value taxes and why the idea hasn’t caught on in the UK, in our recent podcast:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

WATCH NOW: What should we do about high electricity prices in the UK? 🖥️ Watch our event live here: youtube.com/live/6tvCu4t... ❓️ Ask questions here: app.sli.do/event/frovxn... Funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Today’s public finance data shows that government borrowing in the five months to August was £77 billion, £8 billion more than the OBR forecast in March. But these initial data outturns are always subject to revision – recently, these have been as high as £9bn.

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

NEW: Electricity prices in the UK are among the highest in the G7. Why is this? And what can the government do about it? Our new IFS Green Budget chapter explains: [THREAD] ⬇️

Chart shows evolution of domestic energy prices in G7 countries since 1990. Title states: "Domestic energy prices in the UK are among the highest in the G7."

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

IFS Zooms In Live: A look ahead to the Budget 20 Oct | 6:30pm–8pm | London 🎤 Join a special in-person recording of our podcast as we bring together IFS experts to zoom in on the key tax and spend choices facing the Chancellor Sign up: ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-z... Funded by @ukri.org #ESRCFestival

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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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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Could a land value tax replace business rates and council tax? 🎙️ @benzaranko.bsky.social and Stuart Adam discuss whether a land value tax could raise the same revenue, and which areas would be most affected by such a change, in our recent podcast:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

📈 #IFSSatStat: Disability benefit claims have risen across all age groups since 2019. While the number of 16-year-old claimants has risen from 5% to 9%, there has also been fast growth among people in their 50s and 60s.

Chart shows the share of people of each single year of age claiming disability benefits in 2019 and 2025. Title states: "Since 2019, the share of the population claiming disability benefits has increased fairly uniformly across all age groups."

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Should landowners pay more tax when local investment increases the value of their land? 🎙️ helenmiller.bsky.social and Stuart Adam explore how local investment affects land value, and why distinguishing between stocks and uplift matters for how landowners are taxed, in our recent podcast:

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Who would be most affected by a land value tax? 🎙️ Stuart Adam and @benzaranko.bsky.social discuss why which generation you belong to and where you hold your wealth matter when it comes to a land value tax, from our recent podcast. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: ifs.org.uk/articles/lan...

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

NEW PODCAST: What would it take to fix social care? @helenmiller.bsky.social, David Phillips and the Dilnot Commission's Andrew Dilnot explain the issues with social care in the UK, and discuss what it would take to build a better system. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/wha...

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Yesterday, the government announced an effective £500 million boost to school funding in England. Here is IFS Research Fellow @lukesibieta.bsky.social's assessment of what this boost will mean for school budgets ⬇️

Image shows a quote from IFS Research Fellow Luke Sibieta. The quote reads: "Yesterday, the government announced an effective £500 million boost to school funding in England, which equates to a permanent increase of just under 1%. This is due to the government no longer clawing back savings that have resulted from lower employer pension contributions for support staff. Alongside the £700 million top-up announced for this year in July, today's £500 million boost means that the government is now fully funding the cost of this year's 3.5% rise in teacher pay. Coming on top of other funding increases, this means that from next year schools will be £1.6 billion better off than they had expected to be this summer."

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Eduin Latimer @eduinlatimer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This really should be bigger news. Most important driver on long-term changes in living standards is productivity and recent revision to how it is measured suggests output per hour actually grew almost twice as fast from 2009 to 2019 (up from 0.7% a year to 1.3% a year)

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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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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Next week, the 8th The World Bank Group / @ODI.Global / IFS Public Finance Conference will take place from September 24 – 25th 2026 in Washington DC, with a keynote from Nathaniel Hendren. ➡️ Find out more about the conference and register to join online here: www.taxdev.org/event/8th-wo...

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Eduin Latimer @eduinlatimer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This is one of the key charts from our report out today. PIP only provides 2 levels of support for daily living costs. This means people with very different levels of assessed disability get the same amount of cash.

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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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Madeleine Sumption @msumption.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

How does immigration affect public finances? Is the OBR getting it right? Which migration policies are fiscally costly vs beneficial? Much enjoyed discussing all this - and my new book, "What is immigration policy for?" with @theifs.bsky.social on their excellent IFS Zooms In podcast

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

NEW: People with different levels of disability get the same amount of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Someone who can't wash and needs help dressing could get £5,960 a year – the same as someone who can't wash, dress, talk or read. THREAD on our new Green Budget chapter: ⬇️

Chart shows distribution of claimants’ PIP points for the daily living PIP component. Title states: "Everyone scoring at least 12 points in their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) daily living assessment gets the same amount, despite some having much higher levels of assessed disability."

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

WATCH NOW: Does Personal Independence Payment need reform? 🖥️ Watch our event live here: www.youtube.com/live/cZVsIT7... ❓️ Ask questions here: app.sli.do/event/k7rpMW... Funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

A land value tax is not currently part of the UK tax system, but why is it popular among economists? 🎙️ helenmiller.bsky.social and Stuart Adam explain how a land value tax works and why it doesn’t have some of the same issues as other taxes, in our recent podcast.

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

NEW: The English and Welsh justice system is under strain. But more funding alone won't alone fix the system’s problems. Our new Transforming Justice report, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org, examines the resources pressures facing the system: [THREAD]

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