I can’t understand how anyone can say that removing the 10p tax band will help anyone. Newtown is one of the lowest paid areas in the UK and those on lowest pay will certainly find themselves paying much more tax.
This is just another way through the back door of taking more money from the average hard working person. When Gordon Brown announced the reduction in the basic rate from 22% to 20% and then abolished the 10p tax band, it was obvious to that everyone would be worse off. But what’s frustrating is that on announcing this he presented it as good for the average hard-working person!
So many people I have spoken to this week have aired there dissatisfaction of Labour, and I’m finding great support with people telling me there going to vote Conservative for the first time.
Council tax is of course another hot issue. The Lib Dems in Powys want to scrap council tax and replace it with a tax-per-person system. If this comes about I fear that the average paid workers in Powys will be paying even more.
The Conservatives pledge to introduce a system that places the control of council tax into our hands. My party will call for a referendum if our council wants to put up council tax by any significant amount. This will effectively make our council have to put forward a strong case to justify any large increase if they want us, the people of Powys, to vote for it.
It’s a disgrace that people who earn next to nothing are going to subsidise the 2p tax cut for people who earn more than they do. We are paying too much tax for too little in return and from the conversations I’ve had with people in Newtown this week I believe the public are finally realising it.
