What is the UK fiscal hole and what causes it?
British government officials usually avoid the term ‘fiscal hole’ like the plague. This is because ministers have lost control of their finances, suggesting nasty tax increases and cuts in public spending are imminent.
Not this fall: Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt’s allies say he is considering tax increases and spending cuts worth about £55 billion a year, with one Treasury official warning: ing. Spending cuts alone will not fill the fiscal black hole. ”
Government insiders have highlighted multiple ways to fill in the gaps in recent media stories. Some, but not all, of these will be implemented in his November 17 Prime Minister’s Autumn Statement.
What is a fiscal hole?
Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Affairs, a leading think tank, said most people “rather jump over” the definition of a fiscal or budget hole.
It’s not this year’s budget deficit, nor is it the level of public debt. Gemma Tetlow, chief economist at another think tank, the Government Institute, said the most basic fiscal hole represented a “gap.” [in the public finances] Between where we are projected to be and where we want to be”.
That means the hole depends on the Prime Minister’s own definition of sustainable finances.
Hunt wants to reduce public debt as a share of gross domestic product, a goal that is expected to take five years to reach.
To reach the target, Mr Hunt’s allies say they are considering tax increases and spending cuts worth about £55 billion a year between 2027 and 2028.
As part of filling the fiscal hole, Tetrou said he likely wanted “to create room for error because fiscal forecasts are uncertain”.
What are the drivers of the UK budget gap?
Almost anything that can go wrong has done so since the Treasury Department’s Spring Statement in March.
New forecasts by the UK’s fiscal watchdog, due to be released alongside a statement in the fall, are expected to dampen economic growth as higher energy prices make countries like the UK that import fossil fuels poorer. .
In addition to this, high inflation and rising interest rates will increase the cost of government borrowing and welfare payment payments compared to the Office of Budget Responsibility’s March forecast.
A third problem is the government’s decision to spend tens of billions more pounds to support household energy bills, putting more pressure on public finances.
Tetrou said the biggest drivers of the budget deficit were “higher interest rates on government borrowing and slower economic growth”, which would weigh on future tax revenues.
Much of this was common to the UK and other European countries, but Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey last week pointed to a “UK factor” that makes the UK’s borrowing costs higher than in other developed countries. did.
This is a reference to Liz Truss’ ill-fated ‘mini’ budget, which included £45bn of unpaid tax cuts, causing financial market turmoil and temporarily boosting government bond yields relative to other countries. was.
Paul Johnson said: . . the magnitude of the concerns in the financial markets means that the Treasury will need to act more quickly to fill the void than if the ‘mini’ budget had not materialized. “
What impact will government fiscal rules have?
The government’s existing fiscal rules state that debt as a percentage of GDP should fall by the third year of the latest OBR projections and the current budget should be balanced over the same timeframe. . Hunt said he plans to overhaul these, saying the goal should be achieved in five years, not three.
The OBR’s job is to ‘research and report on financial sustainability’, primarily by publishing projections and comparing them to fiscal regulations.
Paul Johnson said the role was effective for three reasons. First, it sets government targets for future borrowing and debt. Second, it ties the Prime Minister’s hand to an independent forecast, making it harder for the Treasury to fiddle with the numbers.
He said the third “most important” reason was that the prime minister was given the power to negotiate within the government and tell his cabinet colleagues that he could not fund his favorite projects because they would violate financial rules. added.
However, not everyone is a fan of rules. Jagjit Chadha, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, another think tank, is looking to stick to a strict rule in five years “in a world hit by big shocks like Covid, energy and Brexit.”
“I’m not against moving [from fiscal rules]but in order not to try to do [budgetary consolidation] It’s too early,” Chada added.
How will Hunt get his finances back on track?
Hunt will soon receive a forecast from OBR that reveals just how big the hole will be when he wants to hit his main fiscal rule in 2027-2028.
This figure is believed to be between £30 billion and £40 billion. On top of this figure, Hunt is expected to add £15bn of financial headroom to his so-called £10bn.
Hunt says that trying to reduce the debt burden by borrowing less will hurt economic growth and affect extended tax revenues, requiring tax increases and spending cuts of around £55bn a year or more. This highlights that some of the budgetary measures may not ultimately help fill the fiscal hole.
Chadha said the last point is important in the design of fiscal consolidation. “The key to reducing debt is [the measures] Don’t lead to policies that prevent the economy from doing its job and growing,” he added.
https://www.ft.com/content/1772624e-735f-4de8-8202-65fc2334444f What is the UK fiscal hole and what causes it?