I am absolutely astonished by Gordon Brown’s Budget. The Chancellor may or may not be like Stalin (pictured right in a fine poster from the 1930’s), although like the Great Leader he is likely shortly to be the only candidate in a leadership election!
Looking at the fine print now that the dust has settled it seems that Brown’s latest Budget has penalised the poorest taxpayers.
My work at Citizens Advice has taught me that the flawed Tax Credit system will not compensate many of those who will now be worse off. The take up rate of Tax Credits is a long way short of 100%, in part due to their complexity. In addition the rules are such that many, such as people under 25 without children, do not qualify.
Charities will also lose out since Gift Aid will now be worth less to them. This is also worrying at a time when the Olympics threaten to divert funds from many other causes.
In the late 1920’s Stalin triumphantly told a mass meeting ‘Life has become better! Life has become gayer!’ and it seems that he believed his own rhetoric despite a good deal of evidence to the contrary. The tone Gordon Brown’s triumphant announcement of 2 pence off income tax on Wednesday, which certainly fooled the Editor of the Sun, was equally deceptive.
Looking at the fine print now that the dust has settled it seems that Brown’s latest Budget has penalised the poorest taxpayers.
My work at Citizens Advice has taught me that the flawed Tax Credit system will not compensate many of those who will now be worse off. The take up rate of Tax Credits is a long way short of 100%, in part due to their complexity. In addition the rules are such that many, such as people under 25 without children, do not qualify.
Charities will also lose out since Gift Aid will now be worth less to them. This is also worrying at a time when the Olympics threaten to divert funds from many other causes.
In the late 1920’s Stalin triumphantly told a mass meeting ‘Life has become better! Life has become gayer!’ and it seems that he believed his own rhetoric despite a good deal of evidence to the contrary. The tone Gordon Brown’s triumphant announcement of 2 pence off income tax on Wednesday, which certainly fooled the Editor of the Sun, was equally deceptive.
