Tag Archives: nick hollinmghurst

The VAT rise: a refresher course for Labour

Today’s increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% — announced in the Coalition’s emergency budget last year — has triggered a fresh burst of opportunism criticism from Labour. The “wrong tax at the wrong time” claims their leader Ed Miliband.

How Labour’s last Chancellor backed a VAT rise

I suspect there’s a Labour MP we won’t be hearing from today, though: Alistair Darling*, Chancellor until the party’s defeat in May. As Mark Pack noted here last July, Mr Darling was a strong advocate of increasing the rate of VAT in order to tackle the UK’s massive deficit, with The …

Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | 89 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Meg Thomas
    This is an excellent article. Thanks. 'Men held more power a century ago.' Sorry, men still hold more power. This can still be the case whilst we also see ...
  • GWYN WILLIAMS
    Excellent thought provoking article...
  • Simon Robinson
    @Chloe. I think you're right to say that the state doesn't owe anyone a living. However, if society is to function effectively, then we do need to make sure tha...
  • Simon Robinson
    Excellent article. Totally captures how Reform have been winning because progressives haven't been listening to ordinary people. One point; @Michal you say,...
  • Michal Simon
    @Chloe I absolutely love agreeing with you on this. And this is explicitly part of the argument in my first article. The education system has failed a huge...