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Central government news

Pressure groups call for 30% single tax rateA single 30% flat tax, merging National Insurance and income tax, should be introduced within the next eight years to boost economic growth, the Institute of Directors and the Taxpayers' Alliance said today. 21 May 2012
Councils slam Whitehall's retention of ratesWhitehall's decision to claw back half of the localised business rates collected by English councils 'falls well short' of giving them freedom and lacks ambition, according to town halls. 21 May 2012
NAO backs Northern Rock saleThe business plan underpinning the decision to split Northern Rock in two proved to be 'optimistic' but the alternative would not have benefited the taxpayer more, the National Audit Office said today. 18 May 2012
Teachers' local pay decision set for autumnTeachers will have to wait months longer than other public sector workers before finding out if they are to move to localised pay, it has been revealed. 17 May 2012
PAC warns of Work Programme risksThe 'quick' introduction of the Work Programme has created a new set of risks that must be addressed, the Public Accounts Committee has warned. 16 May 2012
Whitehall must join national fraud system, say auditorsThe Audit Commission is calling for government departments to be required to join its National Fraud Initiative, which has saved £1bn elsewhere in the public sector since it began in 1996. 16 May 2012
Community health care overburdened, say nursesThe government's plan to shift health care from hospitals to communities is under-funded and under-staffed, the Royal College of Nursing said this week. 14 May 2012
Comprehensive Spending Review 'failed equality test'The government's decision to cap benefits might have breached public sector equality duties, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has revealed. 14 May 2012
MPs warn of weak scrutiny of academiesPlans to monitor the spending of public money in academy schools are weak and might not be able to ensure accountability, the Public Accounts Committee has warned. 11 May 2012
Growth fund 'created too few jobs at too high cost'Thousands more private sector jobs could have been created if money from the Regional Growth Fund had been better allocated, auditors said today. 11 May 2012
Unions call for pension talks as public sector strikesTrade unions are urging the government to reopen negotiations on public sector pension changes as hundreds of thousands of workers strike today over the issue. 10 May 2012
Whitehall 'could save billions from better cash management'Improving cash management and fraud prevention could save the government as much as £18.7bn annually, an analysis of state spending said today. 10 May 2012
Pensions, care and audit Bills in Queen's SpeechPublic sector pension changes will continue, despite trade union opposition, after legislation was promised in today's Queen's Speech. 09 May 2012
Cameron and Clegg stand by economic policiesPrime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said today that there will be 'no let-up' in the government's tough decisions on spending. 08 May 2012
Give cities a stronger role in housing, says IPPREnglish city councils should be given more powers over housing to enable them to play a greater role in the supply of new and decent homes, the Institute for Public Policy Research said today. 08 May 2012