Ben Ramanauskas
CapX
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Ben:
Time to throw Sunday trading laws on the scrapheap
‘Sunday Bloody Sunday really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday – you wake up in the morning, you’ve got to read all the Sunday papers, the kids are running around, you’ve got to mow the lawn, wash the car, and you think ‘Sunday, bloody Sunday!’.’ Now, Alan Partridge’s attempst to bond with two Irish TV […] → Read More
Too big to fail? Why it's time to think about splitting up the Home Office
Suella Braverman’s comments about Indian migrants overstaying their visas may have riled Indian officials enough to undermine a potential UK-India trade deal. That would be a great pity. As I wrote for this site back in January, an agreement with India has huge potential for both countries in terms of driving economic growth. (Nor, contrary to […] → Read More
Liz Truss is quite right to push on with the 'no fault' eviction ban
Today’s announcement from Liz Truss that the Government is going ahead with a ban on ‘no fault’ evictions is extremely welcome. Though it wasn’t official policy, reports had been circulating that she planned to shelve the plans, which were worked up under Michael Gove when he headed up the Levelling Up / Housing mega-department. By […] → Read More
Scrapping the post-Brexit farm scheme would be a big mistake
Reports that the Government is poised to scrap its Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) are concerning for a number of reasons. By way of background, ELMS essentially replaces the current system of paying farmers to produce food on their land with a system which would pay them to provide space for native species, such as […] → Read More
A massive uplift in R&D is vital to getting Britain 'working, building and growing'
The new Prime Minister Liz Truss has kicked off her time in Number 10 with a promise to ‘get the United Kingdom working, building, and growing’. Given that the UK has already experienced one lost decade after the financial crisis and is currently on course for another, there can be no more urgent priority than […] → Read More
A 'nuclear option' VAT cut won't fix the energy crisis
Liz Truss has proposed cutting VAT by 5% if she becomes Prime Minister, a move she is calling the ‘nuclear option’ to help tackle the cost of living crisis. Though it’s welcome to hear her addressing the deep concerns people have about rising prices, cutting VAT isn’t the way to go about it. The main […] → Read More
Stop knocking the UK's great universities – fund them properly instead
With A Level results now in and university places being confirmed, the perennial issue of university funding has once again raised its head. Many commentators are taking the opportunity to criticise universities for asking for more money and stirring up concerns about foreign students robbing UK teenagers of a spot at our elite universities. These […] → Read More
For an impoverished nation, Pakistan's independence day is no cause for celebration
Yesterday Pakistan celebrated its 75th Independence Day. It should be a cause for celebration, but unfortunately just serves as a reminder that the country is still beset with problems and has failed to live up to its potential. In the 1960s Pakistan was seen as a model of economic development and touted as the next […] → Read More
The Greggs licensing battle is a symptom of everything that's wrong with London
Do you fancy a late night sausage roll? It’s an odd question (and I’m not trying to flirt), but it’s one at the heart of a bizarre battle between Greggs, the Metropolitan Police, and Westminster Council. The bakery chain wants to be able to serve customers 24 hours a day from its new store in […] → Read More
Tax cuts are a fine idea – but they won't help the poorest deal with inflation
We know the cost of living is the most pressing issue facing the next Prime Minister, but so far neither candidate has really set out what they would do to tackle it. The closest we’ve got is Liz Truss promising tax cuts that she says will spur growth and tame inflation, while Rishi Sunak argues […] → Read More
Sri Lanka's economic meltdown is a warning to the world
Sri Lanka’s economy is in a mess. Although it is encouraging that the largely peaceful protests have forced the President and Prime Minister to resign, the country will still face huge challenges and the people will continue to suffer. The problems facing Sri Lanka are largely the result of bad economic and political decisions. What […] → Read More
The next Prime Minister should follow Shinzo Abe's example
The assassination of Shinzo Abe last week was as shocking as it was evil. Abe will rightly go down in history as Japan’s most significant politician since the end of the Second World War. What is more, his economic reforms have much to teach the UK’s next government. When Shinzo Abe took office for the […] → Read More
Whatever Geidt's reasons for resigning, the TRA row tells us something important
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the resignation of the Prime Minister’s Ethics Adviser Lord Geidt is the involvement of a relatively obscure public body known as the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA). We do not have all the details at present, but what we do know raises important questions about the UK’s approach to trade […] → Read More
Let's help sink Putin's regime by welcoming talented Russians to this country
As the horrifying war on Ukraine continues, the West is rightly looking for as many ways as possible to hobble the Putin regime. Sanctions and military aid should at least slow down the Russian military and weaken the Russian economy, hopefully making it harder for Russia to wage war and for Putin’s position to become […] → Read More
Remainers are wrong to disparage a trade deal with Greeenland
Last week the Government announced it was to start negotiations for a trade deal with Greenland. Right on schedule, the continuity remain crowd went into meltdown, pointing out that Greenland has a very small economy and that we already had a deal with them when we were members of the EU. The outcry was so […] → Read More
There's everything to gain from a trade deal with India – but it won't be easy
Last week the Government announced the launch of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the UK and India. If we manage to strike such a deal with India then it will be highly significant to Britain, both economically and difficulty. Let’s start with the economic benefits. The UK already does quite a lot of […] → Read More
Forget tinkering with tariffs – here are five ways to ease the cost of living crisis
With prices rising, there is no shortage of commentators proffering solutions to the cost of living. Take James Forsyth, who argues in The Times that the UK should scrap all tariffs apart from those on certain sensitive agricultural goods in order to bring costs down for consumers. While talk of trade liberalisation is always welcome, it’s […] → Read More
A token VAT cut would do little to stave off Britain's energy crisis
Energy bills are set to soar in the coming months, increasing the cost of living for millions of households. According to both Labour and a number of Tory backbenchers, the way to head those price rises off is to remove VAT from energy bills. Although it’s certainly welcome to see both main parties talk about […] → Read More
Scrapping the Tampon Tax is not the way to reform VAT
In his first Budget on Wednesday, chancellor Rishi Sunak looks set to announce that the government will be scrapping the 5% VAT rate on sanitary products. The move has been welcomed by women’s rights campaigners and looks as though it will be popular with the electorate. In many ways, this is understandable. As it stands, … → Read More
The economics of Valentine's Day
It’s Valentine’s Day, which means couples all around the world will be giving each other gifts, going out for dinner, and sending cards containing nauseating messages. The rest of us sad singletons will be filled with bitter resentment that everywhere is booked up and that it’s marginally more difficult to get served at the local … → Read More