Monday, April 12, 2010

Labour's Income Tax Pledge is Worthless

I am astonished that Labour has again promised not to put up Income Tax - this from the party that made that same pledge in 2005 and yet abolished the 10p tax rate affecting milions of low earners. In addition, they effectively put up income tax this year by not touching the threshholds.

Again, a sleight of hand by a party which doesn't deserve a second look, let alone a fourth one.

17 comments:

Elby the Beserk said...

I'm not astonished Iain. They think we are stupid, and we KNOW they are stupid.

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

What is utterly amazing, is their barefaced cheek in even asking the electorate to back them for five more years, after they have just raped the entire country of pride, a sound commercial future, long life in old age and an identity which once made GBinc the pride of the world.

'Policies' which dribble from the thin mouths of these awful people are worthless, even when they are outright lies.

Their recent cancer scare letters jaunt will definitely come back to haunt them time and time again, and they'll deserve every squirm while they sit and try and justify their disgraceful behaviour.

Unsworth said...

Indeed. There was a time when we might have taken a politican's word as being his/her bond. Now we take it as being total dissimulation - particularly with NuLab, who have developed lying to the State of the Art.

I don't know why anyone should believe anything uttered by any politician, but what I do know is that we desperately need to be rid of the present 'Government' and to radically alter our politics, if not our ethics. We'll certainly not be able to do that if there is a hung Parliament.

Roger Thornhill said...

Two words: Fiscal Drag.

That, and the fact that the £ will devalue like crazy, so the current bands will shrink in real terms rapidissimo.

Colin said...

Why does this government insist on National Insurance not being the same as income tax? They are precisely the same thing. Any rise in NI is a rise in income tax, simple as that. The very fact that Labour are arguing that their proposed NI increase will "help cut the deficit" proves that NI is nothing more than income tax, and certainly not the supposed "social insurance" that it was originally dreamt up to be.

Anonymous said...

Colin is being too kind. Income tax is progressive, in that the rates are level or rising as income rises. National Insurance is just like Income Tax, except it's regressive as the rates fall as incomes rise. Pretty bad for the Labour Party to keep their options open on regressive taxes (NI and VAT) whilst making bold statements about income tax, which should from a Labour perspective be much more ideologically suitable.

Mark Pasola said...

And the 50% higher ratent

Anonymous said...

The increases in NI contributions are an increase in income tax for workers but not for the idle rich (and at a lower rate for the non-idle rich who have both earned and unearned income).
Meanwhile they have reduced the rates paid by millionaires on capital gains.

Gerry57 said...

What about Carbon Taxes ? Gordon Brown has pledged billions of our money to the UN/Global Bank to tackle Global Warming ? Will this be another stealth tax ?

Caroline Lucas of the Green Party wants to put more tax on fuel. She must really want to destroy what's left of the ecomomy.

Colin said...

Tokyonambu: fair point, well made!

Mostly Ordinary said...

I despair that my choice seems to be between which party will increase my tax burden by the smallest amount.

I'm one of the people parties talk about when they drone on about improved opportunity. I started my working life as someone with no qualifications and spent all my own time and money while working to getting myself thorough night school and distance learning to a masters degree and a reasonably good job well above the average wage. I know spend my life being milked as a cash cow as the very wealthy and the no so wealthy get hand out over hand out. Compounded by the fact I can't vote for my Croydon Tory MP, even though I support the Tory Party, because he thought it was reasonable to by a 2nd house to get to work less than 20 miles away.

Frankly is it worth voting at all?

Devil's Kitchen said...

Uh... Iain? Um... You do know that it was Gordon who introduced the 10p rate of income tax—right?

DK

Anonymous said...

The DT reports that Brown has broken a NHS rule that its premises should not be used for political purposes.

Patrick said...

Not to mention all the regressive taxes which have soared under labour like the council tax which has doubled.

No wonder inequality is worse

Anonymous said...

I was spending some time reading the guardian blogs about the polls etc..
Most of the posters not surprisingly want Labour to win and my postings explaining how Brown was dreadful was moderated out and none posted! About the discussion about polls Guardian commissions and why it ihas been out of kilter with the general trend, I posted saying how Guardian usually get its wrong in its UK ranking of universities where it in 2010 ranking has placed the Bournemouth U, a former polytechnic , above U of Manchester, a Russell Group University and a worlf reknowned institution. Even my friends at Bournemouth U refuse to accept this! The Russell Group universities are always in the top 20-25 of UK university ranking being of centres of excellence. Needless to say, this posting of mine was turned down by the moderator! DL, Jimmy and tory boys ..should know where their home is.

hatfield girl said...

And the BBC poll tax.

Anonymous said...

I was asking why Guardian does not run stories like Brown's gaffe that the 3 disgraced MPs have to return their Legal aid and what Guardian has to be afraid of Tories-is it the jobs adverts that DC said will go on-line etc..These liberals and lefties who like discussion do not want ackward questions asked. I am glad to say my posting privilge in Guardian is removed. The paper was touchy about my comment that Guardian data is out of kilter in the UK university league table!! Very liberal gesture indeed!