IMF gives damning verdict on Britain’s tax cuts  

 

• The new economic measures laid out by the U.K. government “will likely increase inequality,” the International Monetary Fund said in a rare statement.
• While the fiscal package — which included hefty tax cuts for Britain’s highest earners — aims to help families and businesses handle the energy shock, the IMF does not recommend large and untargeted fiscal packages at this juncture.
• The so-called “mini-budget” on September 23, 2022, was not accompanied by a forecast from Britain’s independent Office for Budget Responsibility, which typically analyses the impact big financial moves such as this, would likely have on the economy.
• Markets were strongly affected by the new measures, with U.K. bonds sinking and the British pound plummeting to a record low on Monday. The IMF also looked ahead to the next full budget announcement, set to be laid out by Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng on Nov. 23, saying it gives the U.K. government “an early opportunity to consider ways to provide the support that is more targeted and re-evaluate the tax measures, especially those that benefit high-income earners.”

(Source: CNBC