Lord Healey and John Kay honoured by CIOT

Former Chancellor Denis Healey and economist John Kay have been honoured for their contribution to the field of taxation by being awarded honorary fellowships by the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). CIOT President Andrew Hubbard made the awards at the annual President’s Luncheon at the Dorchester Hotel in London yesterday.

Andrew Hubbard commented:

“It is a tremendous privilege to be able to recognise two such distinguished figures of the economic world as Denis Healey and John Kay.

“I am delighted both Lord Healey and John Kay were able to attend our annual lunch to receive their awards. The lunch was once again a great success with leading figures from all areas of the tax world, including politicians from all the major parties, senior civil servants, economic commentators and thinkers, and many of the foremost tax practitioners in the profession.”

Lord Healey was one of three ex-Chancellors to attend the lunch. Also in attendance were Conservative ex-Chancellors Lord (Geoffrey) Howe and Lord (Nigel) Lawson, both of whom are already honorary fellows of the CIOT.

Notes :

1) Lord Healey of Riddlesden was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979. Born in 1917, Denis Healey served in the army during the Second World War, rising to the rank of major. He entered the House of Commons in 1952, remaining an MP until 1992. From 1964 to 1970 he was Harold Wilson’s Secretary of State for Defence. As Chancellor under both Wilson and James Callaghan he increased benefits for the poor, presided over a pay policy from 1975 and handled negotiations with the IMF in 1976. In opposition he was Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1980 to 1983. His autobiography, ‘The Time of my Life’, was published in 1989 to much acclaim.

2) John Kay is one of Britain’s leading economists. He is a distinguished academic, a successful businessman, an adviser to companies and governments around the world and an acclaimed writer. Born in 1948, he was elected a fellow of St John’s College, Oxford at the age of 21, a position he still holds. As research director and director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies he established it as one of Britain’s most respected think tanks. Since then he has been a professor at the London Business School and the University of Oxford, and is currently a visiting professor at the London School of Economics. In 1986 he founded London Economics, which grew into Britain’s largest independent economic consultancy over the following 10 years. He currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times.