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ASI Bulletin: Driving me mad!
The Motability scandal, the perils of new gambling taxes and a fantastic line-up of events.
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IN THIS BULLETIN:
From Dr Eamonn Butler
RALLY FOR LIBERTY: Just maybe we can focus the Tories on freedom
RAND LECTURE: With the iconic Smoked Salmon producer Lance Forman
OUR WONDERBLOG: More ideas, troublemaking and teasing from our experts
But first…
I see that Tony Blair’s plan for the future of Gaza has been endorsed by President Trump. (I didn’t realise it was that bad.) Rachel Reeves is looking for new tax revenues. (Well, she could explore how many of her own MPs are fiddling their council tax for a start.) And Chinese agents have been discovered in Parliament. (I don’t know what useful information they think they can pick up there.)
But I digress. More later...
RESEARCH
Reverse Gear: Why Motability is broken and how to fix it
Our new research reveals that Motability - a government-backed scheme for disabled mobility - overspends by billions. By supplying new vehicles instead of second-hand ones, the scheme cost £3.4bn more last year (That’s more than we spend on fixing our crumbling school buildings—Ed.) Tax reliefs on VAT and Insurance Premium Tax add another £1.2bn.
Meanwhile, the Personal Independence Payments, the gateway to Motability, are up 80% in five years. Despite a budget on par with the prison service, Motability has little oversight and sets its own rules. As the scheme nears its 50th birthday, we call for ending tax reliefs, tightening eligibility and breaking its monopoly.
On the River: Adult Gaming Centres, Liberty and Harm
Adult Gaming Centres - slots and stuff - are being killed by regulations and taxes. With a 66% effective tax rate, a £2 stake cap (unchanged since 2011 despite high inflation) and the “80/20 rule” limiting profitable machines, they’re shrinking - down 23% since 2018. They pay £1,900+ in fees, 80% more than top-tier alcohol licenses (though they don’t sell alcohol).
Online gambling, by contrast, has surged to £6.9bn in Gross Gambling Yield. And, at 18%, problem gambling rates are far higher than the 5.8% seen in AGCs. Black markets are growing too. Proposals to raise Machine Games Duty to 50% would only make matters worse. We need to ease the burdens on AGCs. And while we’re at it, reform the Gambling Commission from the ground up.
MEDIA
Our Motability research made a big splash - it was covered in The Times, The Telegraph, City AM, GB News and several other outlets. It also made a huge impact on X! Our gambling research was similarly successful, winning coverage on the front page of The Sun and a host of other papers.
With Trump visiting the UK, Maxwell Marlow was in Cap X praising the American approach to liberty. And, Viggo, one of our brilliant new gap years, was in the Country & Town House Magazine. Now that I’ve mentioned it, do keep an eye out for our new gap years, Viggo Terling and James Hodgkinson. They are already getting stuck in, helping us make the case for a smaller, more efficient government.
PARTY CONFERENCES
I don’t know why we go to all these politicians’ knees-ups. It just encourages them.
Rally For Liberty
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With UK civil liberties increasingly under attack, join us at the Conservative Party Conference to help resurrect the Conservative Party’s liberal tradition. After all, it was the titanic George Canning, a Conservative Prime Minister, who was the first British politician to self-describe as ‘liberal’...
British Energy in the 21st Century
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At the Labour Party Conference, we’re exploring the future of UK energy policy. We have some of the highest industrial energy costs in Europe. So what can be done? Can our businesses really hope for ‘energy too cheap to meter’?
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At the Liberal Democrat Party Conference, we discussed the problems facing the hospitality industry and how to fix them. Panellists included Lib Dem MPs, a representative from UK Hospitality and our very own Jasper Ostle.
And, at the Reform Conference, we explored how to revitalise the British High Street. Panellists included Sarah Pochin MP, representatives of the retail and hospitality industries, a council leader and our very own Maxwell Marlow.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Ayn Rand Lecture with Lance Forman
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Join us for our annual Ayn Rand Lecture 2025 with Lance Forman on Wednesday, 22nd October.
From fighting the European Union as an MEP to running an iconic salmon business, Lance Forman embodies Rand’s spirit of independence. Lance will discuss his battle with the government after it attempted to compulsorily purchase his business and the role of the state in British public life. We often talk about growth, but rarely hear from the people who deliver it. All Treasury Ministers are welcome!
Enlightenment Evening: False Dawn: Whither The New Deal?
The New Deal, Franklin Roosevelt’s response to the 1929 Crash and the Great Depression, is lauded by many as a total victory for high-spending government job creation. But was it? Prominent US monetary expert Professor George Selgin gives his view.
The Next Generation with Claire Coutinho MP
This month, we’re joined by the Rt. Hon Claire Coutinho MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to talk about how we can cut the price of energy.
ASI ONLINE
Our wonderblog
My minions tell me that we need more people reading our blog so our readership stays in the tens of zillions or whatever it is. So get clicking these links.
Tim Worstall on the Lewes Pound: Its demise tells us something about optimal currency areas (Did anyone mention the Euro?—Ed)
Madsen Pirie on worthwhile projects: How about connecting Northern Ireland to Scotland, allowing land communication with Continental Europe? Better value than HS2, eh?
Anna Casey on abandoning the Sterling for Rum: Depreciation of the pound is making us even poorer. Time to open up trade and boost productivity.
ASI Videos
And, don’t miss our latest video where Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC, Dr. Neil Shastri-Hurst MP and Maxwell Marlow discuss how to fix our sanctions regime.
And I quote…
I’m just working on a graphic-novel version of The Wealth of Nations, so something from Adam Smith seems appropriate, especially with all the budget tax talk at the moment:
There is no art which one government sooner learns from another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.
Bye…
e
Dr Eamonn Butler
OUR SOCIALS
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