Lamees Zara Rahman

Introduction: This year’s UK Autumn Budget marked some significant policy: most notably the scrapping for the two child benefit, extending the freeze of personal tax threshold from 2028 to 2031 and new forms of taxation such as the ‘mansion’ tax and a mileage-based tax for electric vehicles. Whilst the Budget was pragmatic and realistic, it fuels public dissent, especially given the promised benefits may not be certain and violate manifesto pledges. Analysis of Tax Policy The budget aims to...

To what extent is the 2025 shutdown worse than previous government shutdowns? On October 1, the US government entered its 11th shutdown triggered by disagreements over healthcare provisions. The Democrats insisted on an extension of the Affordable Care Act and the reversal of Medicaid funding cuts introduced under the “ Big Beautiful Bill ”. Now at 36 days, this shutdown has sparked widespread concern. However, this report aims to show through comparative analysis of the 2013 and 2018-19...