Now let's have fair taxes for the majority - Campbell
At a lively Prime Minister's Questions, the first since the PM's u-turn on an early election, Ming Campbell challenged Gordon Brown on taxation. Noting that the government had stolen some Liberal Democrat tax policies in yesterday's pre-budget report (PBR), he asked Mr Brown if he would adopt a policy to help people on middle and lower incomes, by cutting the basic rate of income tax to 16p in the pound? In his second question, Ming turned to council tax, noting the 'glaring omission of any proposals for reform' of the unfair tax. Council tax is set to rise by twice the rate of inflation. 'How fair is that for lower and middle income families?' Ming asked. Alistair Darling's statement yesterday has been criticised across the board in today's papers for its shameless 'theft' of policies from the opposition parties such as raising the inheritance tax threshold and measures to get more tax from non-domiciles. The Times headline of "The Magpie Budget" is typical.
