No, Chancellor
ONLY last year, Rachel Reeves assured us she “didn’t come into politics to raise taxes on working people”.
Yet in the 16 months since she became Chancellor, the tax burden has risen to its highest level since records began nearly 80 years ago — and in just 23 days’ time she will be coming back for even more in her second Budget.
Stark new figures today reveal the average family will hand over an eye-watering £571,740 of their lifetime earnings to the Treasury in income tax.
But that’s STILL not enough to fill the black hole created by Ms Reeves’ handling of the economy.
She has refused to rule out raising income tax, VAT or National Insurance, in breach of Labour’s manifesto promise.
And she is looking at plans to double council tax on more than a million high-value homes.
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This would clobber pensioners who had saved for their retirement in the homes they had bought during their working lives, along with striving families stretched to the limit and taxed to the hilt.
With 6.2million on NHS waiting lists, 1.3million in the queue for social housing, wages stagnant and food prices soaring, taxpayers will rightly ask what they get in return for their money.
Any further pinch on grafters and wealth-creators must be tempered by action to slash the bloated £300billion welfare bill, tackle waste and restore common sense to public spending.
The Chancellor must show fed-up taxpayers more give and less take.
Earn handouts
UNEMPLOYMENT benefits were introduced more than 100 years ago as a safety net for those who lost their jobs.
They are meant to be a temporary cushion against economic hardship — not a perpetual handout for those who make a lifestyle choice never to work.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden should be applauded for reforming the system to give bigger payments to those who lose their jobs than those who have never done a hard day’s graft in their life.
It shows he is serious about getting millions off benefits and into work.
There’s a lot more to be done, including reforming sickness payouts.
But it’s a good start.
Punch drunk
THE cost of Christmas cheer is rising faster than ever this year.
Soaring inflation means revellers will have to dig deep for their favourite festive drinks.
Let’s hope the Chancellor doesn’t put a bigger dampener on our merrymaking by hiking duty in her Budget.
The only welcome squeeze this Christmas will be on the lemon in our gin and tonic.
