Buried in the many, (but not very meaningful) announcements was a proposal that should concern us all - HMRC is to be given greater powers to recover unpaid tax directly from people’s bank accounts.
No court order. No need for the taxpayer to authorise the payment. The state can instruct the bank to hand over the money.
We are told this is nothing new. HMRC already possesses powers to recover debts directly from bank accounts, provided the debt exceeds £1,000 and at least £5,000 is left untouched across all accounts. The latest proposals would extend recovery to smaller debts, through regular deductions. This is because the vast majority who owe, owe less than £1,000.
But the argument that these powers already exist is hardly reassuring. Since when did an existing intrusion become justification for a greater one? And surely there is a fundamental difference between enforcing tax law and normalising direct state access to bank accounts?
And this comes at a time when taxpayers already face a growing burden, with no say over how much they are expected to contribute or how effectively their money is spent. Ministers insist these powers will target those who can afford to pay but repeatedly refuse. They promise affordability assessments, advance warnings and opportunities to challenge mistakes.
But what happens when HMRC gets it wrong? When a taxpayer is disputing a liability? When correspondence goes unanswered? Or is understandably confused by an increasingly complicated tax system?
The Government promises protections. Yet the burden on the individual remains considerable when the institution making the demand also possesses the power to collect the money. Today, the justification is unpaid tax. Tomorrow, what other administrative problems might the state decide would be easier to solve by reaching directly into people’s bank accounts?
We have had previous warnings about precedent. Powers created for narrow purposes can become easier to expand once the underlying principle has been accepted.
I am concerned that we are becoming too comfortable with the idea that our money is ours - only until the state decides to take it.
Eve Lugg is a Voice for Freedom with Fighting for a Free Future. Eve served as Special Adviser (SpAd) in the Cabinet Office and brings with her experience in policy and comms, as well as knowledge of how Whitehall really operates.