Budget response - NO THANK YOU DARLING! (Brentwood & Ongar Liberal Democrats)

Brentwood & Ongar Liberal Democrats <info@brentwood-ongarlibdems.org.uk>

Budget response - NO THANK YOU DARLING!

April 23, 2009 8:32 PM

Cllr David Kendall

Statement from Cllr David Kendall, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Brentwood & Ongar

"Having spoken to many people on the doorstep over the last few months regarding the state of the economy and a host of other issues, I know the latest budget will be a bitter disappointment, particularly to those facing the full force of the recession and whose jobs, mortgages and livelihoods are on the line.

What the Country needed was major plans for economic recovery, what we got instead was a wet pancake of a budget from a government that's out of ideas, out of steam and will soon be out of power.

The famous double act of Brown and Darling have not only ditched their former mistress "prudence" they have thrown her right out of the window. Thanks to Labour our national debt now stands at £175 billion, they have maxed out the UK PLC's credit cards in an attempt to spend their way out of recession. Someone sooner a later will have to pay for it, but by that time Labour will be long gone, and it will be us, the poor old British tax payer who has to foot the bill.

The UK is already £1.3 trillion pounds in personal debt and when the banks start demanding their money back things will really get nasty. I just hope the Government will have enough money left to pay the Citizens Advice Bureau who will be left to pick up the pieces.

The truth is that this budget has been a wasted opportunity. Once again they have failed to reform the tax and benefit system or axe Council tax and replace it with a system based on people's ability to pay. It is obscene that under a Labour government the poorest 20% of society pay more tax as a percentage of their income than the richest 20%. Rather than restore the link between pensions and earnings they will put up the meagre state pension by a measly 2.5%. This budget will hit the poorest hardest.

And what have the Conservatives got to offer? More tax cuts for the super rich. Last time they were in power they gave us three and a half million unemployed and Black Wednesday. Not to mention the sale of the century resulting in the privatised monopolies from gas to railways that charge us more and more because they care more about their fat cat shareholders than us their customers.

There is only one man with the vision and expertise capable of getting us out of this economic mess and that's highly respected economist , Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable. (You can read Vince's comments on the budget by following the link below).

The Lib Dems will take 4 million people out of paying tax altogether and cut most peoples income tax by £700. This will be paid for by closing tax loopholes for the super rich and big business. We will curb the excesses of the city that got us into this mess and axe the pointless 2% VAT cut and invest the multi millions saved into new green industries to create jobs and stimulate our economy now.

Faced with a failing Labour Government and more cuts under the Conservatives, small wonder the Lib Dems are now 8 points up in the latest Mori opinion polls*

Roll on the general election !