Click on image to enlargeThis poster was launched by the Conservatives this morning to highlight the effect of Gordon Brown's 10p tax hike on the low paid. It will be delivered in the constituencies of those Labour MPs who signed the EDM last week. This row threatens to grow. I can sniff it in my nostrils. More on this later.
21 comments:
Yes but it is too late for the Tories to start harping on about it. It went way over the Tory front-bench heads during the budget last year and it was only David Laws who worked it out. That budget was a dreadful performance by Cameron and no amount of attacking this year can take away from that.
Hmmm.. I think the poster is too busy, and so loses impact.
A shorter more punchy slogan, like 'Kiss GOODBYE to 10% Tax !' might be better, but hey, what do I know ?
I do agree that this is going to be a big, big issue for Gordon Brown, and he has clearly cocked up big time if he has misjudged the serious amount of damage this can cause him when the sh!t hits the fan..
What P****s me off Ian. Is that Cameron knew this on the day Brown announced the ending of the 10% and since then he has not really made much fuss until now.
I suspect the reason for Cameron not trying to kill this New Labour tax grab from the poor before it became real was because the political gain would be that much greater ie people are actually being hit in their pockests for real. Give Brown enough rope and he will hang himself.
But is this really fair on those affected? As a single ex serviceman my tax liability doubled today and I can not go cap in hand to the state, even if I were inclined to do so. I really do feel let down by Dave Cameron.
PS Mrs. T would have come out fighting as soon Brown announced this despicable tax grab dressed up as a tax reduction.
Come on pregrine. The budget is about flicking the mirrors and deliberately hiding the bad news. Move on.
The thing here is that there are already mutterings among Labour rebels. Divide and rule dear boy, divide and rule. This one is easier than shooting fish in a barrel.
Now now Peregrine. I watched the Budget. At *no* point in the budget did Brown tell us, following the abolition of the removal of the 10p starting rate, whether or not the personal allowance would increase to compensate. It was buried away at the back of the budget book. Giving the fact that the Leader of the Opposition had about six seconds from the time the PM finishes his speech (remember he kept the tax announcement to the very last minute of the speech) until the Leader of the Opposition to speak.
The Libdems, having much more time, did pick it up.
If we are to criticise the Tories for not picking up the implications of the abolition straight away, are you going to give Cameron his credit for this years performance?
Cameron this year was magnificent, he destroyed Darlings Budget, they obviously learnt a lot from last year, and this year mastered the detail.
Well done Team Cameron, a Government in waiting.
"I can sniff it in my nostrils"
Where better, Iain?
What the Tory Party said about the 10p starting rate on its introduction.
When Labour first proposed the 10p starting rate, then then Director of the Institue for Fiscal Studies, Andrew Dilnot, dismissed it as a'gimmick' which, 'scaled new heights in the shifting of tax policy debate from the serious world of economics to one where appearance seems to mattter more than truth...to suggest that a 10p starting rate is a good way of improving incentives is hugely over optimistic. To suggest it is the best way to help the poor is wrong.
Will you be quoting that iain, it's from Let Down by Labour.
I don't recall the Tories having the guts to come out against the Olympics which presumably this will be to pay for (or the Iraq and Afghan wars for that matter).
If this brings home to people that spending has to be paid for then Gordon Brown is doing us all a service!
As The Tories want to win the next election, how wise it was for them to let yet another ill thought out Brown idea be implemented so the voting public can have first hand knowledge of how he is bringing this country to its knees. The average voter does not understand how he is destroying the young workers financial future with the amount he is stacking up in liabilities for all those 600,000 new public sector workers' pensions: jobs which he and Blair sanctioned, together with massive increases in top civil servant,council officials and doctors salaries on which final salary pension is based.Most electors dont realise either what a massive liability we all now have in the future for all those PFI hospitals and schools, nor how we lost out when he sold our gold reserves at one third of the price that they are now.
They, especially the labour voting lower paid will, however, understand when their pay slips this Thursday or Friday or at the end of this month show more income tax being deducted.
If the labour party wants any chance at the next election, if they have any sense they will get Brown out now and replace him with someone who has seen a bit of the real world before entering politics.
peregrine 1.37pm may have a point, but no amount of "harping on about it" last year would have made a blind bit of difference as the date at which it would take effect was so far ahead. Fast forward to now and watch the proverbial s**t hit the fan. The first 20 mins of todays' The World at One devoted to it, and the abject performance of Ed Milliband, are likely to have a far greater impact, particularly in the run-up to May 1st.
The tories were against the 10p rate when it was introduced by Brown, and presumably are for it now.
22% under Major.
20% under Brown.
That poster cannot be accurate, as everyone pays a different level of tax - varying according to whether they drink, smoke, drive have kids etc.
peregrine: That was the point of Gordon's last budget, to wrong foot everyone and show how clever he was. The Conservative front bench and the press were indeed fooled for a while. Surely this reflects worse upon Gordon Brown for deliberately misleading everyone rather than those who were mislead.
What are needed are genuine cuts in taxation for people on low income - whether Single People, Couples without Children, or Families - to incentivise work and also to reward those who actually are working.
It is also time to stop the lie that Labour is a Party for the working-class. It gave up that distinction a long time ago.
How the Labour benches cheered that budget, when Gordon announced 2p off the income tax! Now they, or rather their constituents, have read the small print they realise it was a tax increase. Doh!
In Scotland, Wendy Alexander (close friend of Brown) is pushing "socialism" and "progressive taxation" as the answer to the SNP.
I think she may stay clear of this at the next First Minister's Questions, but I've no doubt Alex Salmond will take the chance to raise the 10p issue in one of his answers. I hope Cameron will do the same at PM's questions.
Quite frankly it doesn't matter if the whole thing went over the Tory front bench heads or if Cameron gave a dreadful performance(peregrine 1.37pm)
OR
what the Tory Party said about the 10p rate or whether it is precisely accurate(anon 3.02pm) the fact is that Labour and Gordon have scored a monumental "home goal" and every time those affected look at their weekly/monthly wage slip they are going to feel aggrieved at the Labour Government and Gordon Brown especially.
P.S. Remember Governments lose elections rather than Oppositions winning them and on present form Labour are doing a pretty good job of losing the next one
10p or not 10p: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous Tax Rises,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;...
When Brown sprung his trap on Cameron at the budget it was very soon apparent that it was a cheap trick, a swindle , a con.
The Sting had been played and the mark had been taken. A good days headlines.
But in typical Gordon Brown fashion Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, it will not matter. Headline today is better than safety tomorrow.
Put off [or put off books] anything that doesn't need to be dealt with today for some unspecified tomorrow.
The fixing the roof metaphor that Osbourne was using recently is really quite apt, if not particularly effective. How many of us have ever repaired a roof ?
Watch the Budget you can see probably the supreme moment of Gordon Brown's career.but even in his triumph he has a maniacal twinkle in his eye,and a look on his face like a gambler throwing down five aces to win the pot.
As for Ed Milliband what can he say?
"My poor put upon boss wanted a Tony Blair Moment. Wanted to look good in the papers and seen to be a financial magician by the markets.
OK so there was a price to pay for making him look good. A small lie was needed about cutting taxes when he was actually raising them.. I mean it only cost some poor people, possibly our own supporters around £180 quid each. I mean is that too high a price to pay for a Chancellors vanity.. I mean it made the Tories look a little silly for a whole day,.. I mean erm ..So What?"
Iain, any more news on this story as hinted at the end of the article?
I hope the Conservatives are not too successful with this campaign. It would be unfortunate if the abolition of the 10p rate was reversed only for the Conservatives to have to get rid of it when they return to power. After all, are they not for tax simplification?
We can do better than that:
http://www.westbournemouthukip.com/rimages/splash2.jpg
Why do some many people talk about 'abolishing' the 10p tax rate. Even Cameron's done it.
Surely the default rate of tax is zero not 100 per cent. So if you abolish a tax rate then we don't pay any tax on that part of our income.
The budget headlines should have read: "Brown doubles income tax". Because that's exactly what he did.
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