Advertisement
Ed fired up over 2.5pc hike in VAT
Reporter: Richard Hooton
Date online: 04 January 2011
Election 2011
LABOUR leader Ed Miliband urged Oldham voters to send the Government a message as he blasted today’s VAT rise.
The national spotlight fell on Oldham as Mr Miliband used a campaigning visit to warn the VAT increase of 2.5 per cent to 20 per cent was the “wrong tax at the wrong time.”
He said while the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election on January 13 was a three-way fight it was a two-way fight for the direction of the country as he merged the Lib-Dems and Tories together to attack broken promises, cuts and the VAT rise.
Mr Miliband said the coalition Government’s cuts went too far and too fast and were recklessly putting 250,000 jobs and the economic recovery at risk.
Asked what Labour would do instead, he told the Chronicle: “We would cut the deficit more slowly and at a more cautious pace.”
And asked how important the election is to Labour and his leadership, he replied: “It is most of all important for people in Oldham East and Saddleworth to send a message to this Government, as the first people in Britain to have that chance, to say we don’t think the Government is right in making these cuts and raising VAT.”
The by-election is a result of shamed Labour MP Phil Woolas being stripped of the seat for lying about his Lib-Dem opponent in election materials.
Lib-Dems leader Nick Clegg had called for Mr Miliband to apologise for what happened.
Asked if he would, Mr Miliband told the Chronicle: “I regret what happened but the people of Oldham are looking forward and want the right MP.”
The Labour leader gave a speech from his party’s campaign office in Lees Road, Mumps, yesterday in front of hundreds of Labour activists and the national media, which was beamed live on BBC News 24. Mr Miliband went on the campaign trail handing out leaflets. It had been planned for him to go doorknocking in Holts to drum up support but the event was cancelled when BNP activists turned up and used loudspeakers to broadcast its message. Mr Miliband said he would be back in Oldham and Lib-Dems Nick Clegg, Tim Farron, Charles Kennedy, Simon Hughes and three ministers are set to visit this week.
Comments
Miliband is correct. This is an election between two potential governments. A Labour one or a collaboration between the Tories and the Liberals.
'Vote Labour get Labour, vote Tory get Tory; vote Liberal no idea what you will get, but it will be Tory policies'.
...Let's get the maths straight first...... There hasn't been a 2.5% increase in VAT today..... There has been a massive 15% increase, or one seventh.
You could try, as you say, to put it on VAT, sales tax, but again if you look at the effect of sales tax, it’s very regressive, it hits the poorest the hardest. It does, I absolutely promise you.
Any sales tax, anything that goes on purchases that you make in shops tends to . . . if you look at it, where VAT goes now it doesn’t go on food obviously but it goes very, very widely and VAT is a more regressive tax than income tax or council tax
David Cameron 2009
Ok we have had the increase, we could do without it! So is out wonderful government going to CUT our payment to other countries, or are we paying the 2.5% increase to fund these payments?
CUT the payments to outside countries and that will halve if not reduce our deficit by 3/4!
And Labour was going to put NI up, which was a lunatic idea. 25p on every £10 is nothing. Would you rather it was NI or income tax? The coalition lifted 900,000 out of tax altogether by raising the threshold.
Labour are so devoid of ideas they are trying to make the fairest tax rise seem like it's designed to hit the poorest when in fact those who spend more will pay more.
ProDriver has got it wrong. Flat rate tax increases are never fair on people on the lower incomes who will notice the impact on their day to day spending far more than the wealthy with cash to spare.
There's ProDriver again, not coming out with all the facts as usual!
This Tory government has partly applied the Labour proposed NI increase, in as much as the employee's contribution has been increased, not the employer's.
As for lifting 900,000 out of paying income tax, how many will actually lose their job this year so they wont have any income to tax???
Would you explain what is fair about increasing VAT by 14.3%? The world of economy is waiting your words of wisdom.
V.A.T is an unfair tax on the poor. whom already have low wages that have to cover council tax, income tax,national insurance and now a huge increase in vat! so out of a average wage of £200 pounds in tax alone £32 in inc.tax and n.i plus £26 council tax. then their is everything you buy were vat kicks in. they have to pay there rents avrg £70 a week transport to work? so the average person works for around £20 pounds after they have paid to survive..not live.
how is that fair???
If UKIP were to win in Oldham east and Saddleworth they would put 110% into the local area because it would be in the spotlight of the entire nation to see the potential of a UKIP MP.
Don't vote for one of the old three. The result of this will not effect the entire nation like it does in a general election. We do not need to vote Labour to stop the Torys or Tory to stop Labour.
Vote for Paul Nuttall, Vote UKIP
Have Your Say
VAT is a regressive tax which hits the poor harder than it hits the rich. If the Tories made companies like Vodaphone pay their true share of UK taxes there wouldn't be need for any cuts at all!
But that's not the way the Tories work, more money for the rich and less money for the poor - deserving or otherwise.
By Flake @ 04/01/2011 16:05:09