UKMOD B1.08 released

UKMOD B1.08 has been released, with major updates including a new HBAI extension allowing to use HBAI data and weights, input data updated to 2021, and improvements to the modelling of Council Tax.

 

More in details, the new model includes:

Parameter Updates:

  • Completion of parameter updates for 2023/24 fiscal year

Data Revisions

  • Allowance for HBAI data and weights – see the new HBAI model extension
  • New “a” and “b” datasets now supported, based on data reported by the FRS 2021.
  • Model adapted to improve Council Tax levels where these are not explicitly reportedby the FRS. The FRS has made new information available for imputing Council Tax levels(ctamtbnd) from 2018/19. We have extended the model to make use of thesedata, which help to improve the match between UKMOD and officialreported measures of council tax (net of associated benefits) – see below for further detail.

Policy Reforms

  • Allowance for omission of means-test to Free School Meals implemented for Londonand Scotland
  • Bedroom tax adjusted to adapt treatment for disability benefit recipients
  • Eligibility condition for Best Start Foods extended

Code Corrections and Amendments

  • NRR and MTR add-ons adjusted to correct minor bugs improving consistency ofresults, and now append associated output to standard model output. Summary statistics from the NRR and MTR add-ons are now reported by model templates accessed via Statistics Presenter
  • Extension of model to support projection of indirect taxes
  • Minor code corrections to fix warning messages
  • Removed Parental Benefit switch
  • Revised part-year allowance for Health and Social Care Levy

    The model can be downloaded from here. Information on how to request the new data is also available on the same page.