Can I have a receipt please?

Caitlin Moran’s article in this morning’s Times is (as always) hilarious but there’s an underlying suggestion in there that I think could be a great step forward in openness of government.

“But you know what would, in a single stroke, make tax-paying much more popular in this country? And might even keep my incredibly close friend Tracey here?

“A receipt. After all, whenever I’ve just blown £227 in Waitrose and feel a bit alarmed by it, it’s oddly comforting to read through the receipt and say to myself, “but at least I have a lot of yoghurt now”. Similar comfort would be experienced by the taxpayer if, in exchange for a large cheque, one was simply issued with a print-out of what you’d just bought yourself: £2,000 for the NHS, £600 for streetlights, £2 for Prince Andrew, etc.”

Moran ends with “And of course, once you’ve got a receipt, it’s much easier to claim a refund . . .” This, I believe, goes to the heart of the accountability question. I’ve previously argued that as we don’t have any idea of how much tax we really pay, that’s the first thing that should be made clear.

The second thing we need to know is what it’s being spent on. That’s where current Conservative proposals for publishing all government spending over £25,000 per item come in (though I do wonder if that’s the right amount… the Missouri Accountability Panel, on which this plan is based, publishes everything).

And then the third thing we need to know is if that spending is value for money or indeed worth it at all – hence the focus for a potential Cameron government on outcomes not process.

Particularly in light of the ongoing expenses saga and today’s Legg letters, I think that the idea of being able to hold our politicians to account properly is more important than ever. We have an unspoken social contract in the UK between representatives and electorate. I wonder if it’s not time for a more formal arrangement.

And yes, we should be able to ask for a refund if the service is rubbish.

No related posts.