It is popularly imagined that the size of the British state has shrunk dramatically since the socialist Seventies, but figures released by the Office for National Statistics suggest otherwise. In 1977, some 40.7 per cent of households received more in benefits (including in-kind benefits such as health and education) than they paid in taxes. That proportion has now risen to 52 per cent. It hit a peak in the middle of the recession of 53.5 per cent and has fallen slightly. But even with that small decline, most people would be surprised – if not shocked – to discover that a majority of Britons now take out more than they put in to the state.