Peter Rhodes on inquiries, taxes and things getting worse, not better

A weekend report reveals that the taxman is making billions of pounds from IPT levied on premiums paid for private-health insurance. Many people go private in despair at ever being treated by the NHS. The more patients with health insurance, the more IPT is collected. So a backlog in the NHS could be a nice little earner for Whitehall. Of course, you'd have to be deeply cynical to make the connection, wouldn't you?