Susan J. Smith

Which is somewhat intermediate by OECD standards? Maybe focus on the source of the revenue (income not wealth, so missing a trick), and the skew in the tax ‘burden’ (less progressive than it was).

Wondering what the British Academy is and how it makes a difference? Here’s a glimpse! www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/about/how-we...

What future for residential property taxation in Britain? - Economics Observatory Council tax is unpopular, unfair and overdue for reform. An alternative would be to fund statutory services through central government, introduce a modest local service charge, and absorb stamp duty a...

Here’s what needs to come out of the ‘too difficult’ corner… www.economicsobservatory.com/what-future-...

Second-home owners in Scotland hit with quadruple council tax From April there will be no limit to how much Scottish local authorities can charge, with at least five areas set to increase their premium

Sounds bold, but leaves the majority of residential property wealth untaxed and tackles a fraction of under-occupation.

www.thetimes.com/article/6173...

One of my favourite schemes!

A few edge-of-the-seat moments in a lively discussion, with top tips from @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social on how to tell gripping tales about findings that matter…

Thanks - an energising, soul-searching, eye-opening lesson to on how to win (or not) hearts and minds…

They all look fantastic, but I’m delighted to see that the list includes ‘With the law on our side’. A welcome intervention in uncertain times.

This looks quite interesting, but it’s behind a paywall. Might be worth chasing? doi.org/10.1177/2043...

That’s the challenge. But there is a lot going on, on the ground…

Thinking the Fault Lines of Housing Inequality Published in Housing, Theory and Society (Ahead of Print, 2026)

Nice intro to my focus article with Gavin Wood, neat comment on ‘the edges’ of ownership, and a few pointers to some fine commentaries commissioned by the journal www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The British Academy Conferences Bringing together scholars from around the world to consider and evaluate new research in the humanities and social sciences

Breathtaking array of conferences, coming soon, probably near you… Check them out: www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/briti...

I don’t draw much comfort from the income tax position (the post-tax income share of the top ten percent is 28%). But the regressive, irrational and unfair structure of council tax certainly takes the biscuit…

Chair's events | Annual International Conference Discover our line up of Chair's events and speakers for this year's Annual International Conference.

Very excited to be part of this inspiring line-up for the Chair’s sessions at the 2026 RGS-IBG conference www.rgs.org/research/ann...

US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies aged 84 - live updates Jackson, who marched with Martin Luther King Jr in the 1960s and later ran for president twice, died peacefully on Tuesday morning surrounded by his family.

Poignant moment. ‘Over the course of his career, Jackson built a movement to bring America's increasingly diverse population together’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3...

Listen up peeps before we lose a key bridge between ‘the two cultures’…

Spot on. The clue is in the name. ‘Artificial’ intelligence - a product of human ingenuity, not a substitute for life itself…

Great news. Though I guess that if freeholders have a pecuniary interest in the charges levied by management companies, ground rents will be neither here nor there…

Council tax is regressive by income, region, and housing wealth. What’s to like?

Yikes! Something’s got to give…

Well good luck on all this, though it will be interesting to see whether build to rent turns out to be an alternative to ‘over-speculative’ models of #housing production…

Breakfast - Rise and shine with classical music - BBC Sounds Join Tom McKinney every Monday to Friday for Radio 3's Breakfast show

Ooh, track 23 on BBC R3 Breakfast show, Kings Singers with a new vibe (oh, ok, with Jeremy West) on Orlando Gibbons, in a heads-up from their new album www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Rachel Armitage · Diary: Brass Bands Many brass bands were started by factory owners in the belief that music would give their workers purpose, strengthen...

A must-read for anyone curious about the mysterious world of brass bands and their contests (written, moreover, by a former member of the @girtoncollege.bsky.social brass dectet, aka the Girten 😎) www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Wall Street landlords have met a surprising opponent in Trump. So why is Starmer courting them? | Adam Almeida To win votes, Trump can afford to face up to corporate power – to deliver his promised 1.5m homes, Starmer can’t, says writer and researcher Adam Almeida

The politics of #housing have to be seen to be believed, though it’s demonstrably risky when large corporate/ institutional investors start acquiring single-family homes for profit… www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

What future for residential property taxation in Britain? - Economics Observatory Council tax is unpopular, unfair and overdue for reform. An alternative would be to fund statutory services through central government, introduce a modest local service charge, and absorb stamp duty a...

😂 Although my point is that second homes are only one form of under-occupation and that if you want to tax residential property fairly and fully council tax atm is not fit for purpose, for reasons set out here: www.economicsobservatory.com/what-future-...

Meet the seaside second-home owners fighting the council tax grab Filey’s peaceful five-mile beach made it popular with older couples seeking holiday homes — until they were hit with double bills. Now, they are hitting back

This total disarray is hardly surprising - council tax is a mess as it is without trying to use it as if it were some kind of rational, progressive property tax. Must do better!

www.thetimes.com/article/6871...

Yes please!

Something for everyone @britishacademy.bsky.social Join us ‘at home’ and across the UK to catch the latest in a series of visionary talks dating back to 1908! www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/lectu...

A sensible idea if we are thinking about social stability, working democracy, economic resilience and environmental sustainability…amongst other things (like ‘leave no one behind’)

John Wallace obituary: trumpeter, composer and educator First (and still only) Scot to hold the position of principal of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

Inspiring advocate for music and the performing arts; unmatched in energy, imagination and utter brilliance in the world of brass. One of those people who lit up the room simply by opening the door. Huge loss.

www.thetimes.com/article/4656...