While the UK has one of the best public service systems in the world, the cost of funding this continues to grow, often forcing an increase in taxes.  There are many in the UK who argue that even though taxes have gone up, the quality of public services has gone down.  However, surprisingly, a recent survey indicated that the majority of UK tax payers would actually agree to higher taxes if they could see where their money was going.  Will this ever happen?

The problem with the UK government is their record on wasting money, with computer systems billions of pounds over budget, the tax credit system in disarray - with billions of pounds outstanding, not to mention the mammoth cost of setting the system up.  There have also been hundreds of other schemes which have gone well over budget, including among others the infamous Millennium Dome.  How can the authorities regain the trust of the UK public?

Government, trust and the public are not three terms which normally go hand in hand, with the public often sceptical of where their taxes actually go to.  Perhaps a more transparent system would work better if the tax payer could actually see where their money was going, which departments and if it was working.  One of the main gripes against the government has been the fact that all of the many budget over spends actually come out of the tax payers pocket, when in business there would be compensation and penalty payments if projects were not brought in on time, and on budget.

A more transparent system would give the public more confidence - that is assuming that the government have nothing to hide!