Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Ten Pence Tax Gaffe: £120 Windfall to Standard Raters


The compensation package announced today looks like the least worst of the various possibilities giving us all an extra £600 tax allowance, fully compensating 80% of those that lost out, and the remaining 20% by between half and all their losses.

Downside is that while this assuages most of the pain it also gives an untargeted windfall of £120 to those who had already won. The pre-budget report in the autumn should see the results of a proper review of the tax credits system.

George Osborne's reaction was simultaneously cocky and pathetic ... though he did have to write it on the spot. Frank Field has apologised for letting things get personal and he has welcomed the package. Could Gordon even bury the hatchet and reach out to him in a reshuffle?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You put your left leg in, left leg out, in, out, you shake it all about, you do the hokey cokey and you fall about, that's what it's all about.

Anonymous said...

Well, at least we'll be off the back foot now.

No better I'll be able to go canvassing without running the risk of being lynched.

Trouble is I was on the stump tonight along Crewe High Street and couldn't make out why people were laughing at me.

"Yo, pillock, you useless tosser, we've got you by the short and curlies."

I mean, Chris. We've been getting away with bollocks since 1997.

You know it's bollocks. I know it's bollocks. But they're not supposed to work out it's bollocks.

I was forced to shout back at them our meanest euphemism - Social Justice. But I had to leg it cos half a dozen pensioners shouted back in unison: "And up your arse too".

Not even the oldies are dum these days.

Chris Paul said...

I do believe that I am the only one present in this comments strand that has been on the knocker for Labour under the 10p gaffe.

And strangely I found people accepting they were winning more than they're losing and that it would be fixed and so sticking with Labour.

Today's little shimmy from the Chancellor should sort the whole thing out?

Doncha think?

Ted Foan said...

"Today's little shimmy from the Chancellor should sort the whole thing out?

Doncha think?"

No, I don't! And I don't think you do really, Chris. What about the 1.1 million who only get £32.40 this year?

This was an (unprecedented?) by-election bribe to save Gordon's skin. But it will not stop Crewe & Nantwich going to the Conservatives.

The game is up and the Libdemologists will not save your beloved Labour Party this time.

Anonymous said...

Chris,

I think the damage as been done
A great deal of people have lost faith in New Labour and we all no if you lose the media you lose the general public.
Which bright spark thought scraping the 10 pence rate would be a good thing.
Surely they sit down and work things out before hand? or did they? and thought no one would notice?