CONTESTED ESTIMATE
Significant methodological disputes. View caveats below.
Productivity
Regulation Sunset Clause
Upfront
+£2.0bn
Annual
+£2.0bn
Revenue
+£8.0bn
Net Annual Effect
+£10.0bn/year
Payback in 3 years
GDP +1.5%Productivity +0.35%very high uncertainty
UNCERTAINTY RANGE (Annual Net Effect)
Most Pessimistic
-£10.0bn
⟷
Most Optimistic
+£25.0bn
MAJOR CAVEATS
- •Benefit-cost ratios of UK regulations rarely evaluated post-implementation; assumed benefits often not realised
- •Regulatory uncertainty is real risk - clear sunset process essential to avoid investment freeze
- •International comparison: UK regulatory burden heavier than US, Singapore; lighter than EU
- •Catastrophic failure risk real but rare; status quo also has costs (Grenfell was regulatory failure, not absence)
- •Externalities cut both ways: regulation can create negative externalities (housing shortage, energy costs)
- •Track record: UK regulatory state has grown continuously since 1990s while growth has stagnated
4 sources
