With recession tightening its grip, the taxpaying public are more concerned than ever about the size of the tax burden, the efficiency of public services and getting value for money from the state.
It is for that reason that the TaxPayers’ Alliance has published the third annual Public Sector Rich List, which provides a full run-down of the 387 public sector employees from 140 different organisations whose total remuneration in 2007-08 was above £150,000.
With ordinary people footing the bill not only for these individuals’ large salaries, hefty bonuses and generous pensions, but also for the services and organisations they run, the list provides a crucial opportunity for taxpayers to hold their employees to account.
Unfortunately, there are a number of individuals on the list who are effectively being rewarded for failure. Some of them (such as Adam Applegarth, former Chief Executive of Northern Rock, Sir Ian Blair of the Met and Paul Gray, former Chairman of HMRC) have since resigned, floating off into the sunset on taxpayer-funded golden parachutes.
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