To be worried about the tax cutting obsession

[SnowyLamb]

Among the leadership candidates?

I'm sure tax cuts will win them an election, but I really can't see how they're the answer to the current crisis. It feels really dangerous to me.

Even Margaret Thatcher increased tax during the recession, she didn't cut tax until we were through the other side.

But it's linked, the party isn't going to back someone who is unlikely to win them the next GE. That would be silly

Well the Tories did it with William Hague and Ian Duncan-Smith, and Labour did it with Gordon Brown, Ed Milliband, Jeremy Corbyn and Kier Starmer.

Labour didn’t have much choice with Gordon Brown and Corbyn came much closer to winning in 2017 than most people are prepared to acknowledge. We don’t know about Starmer yet, he has yet to face the electorate.

I didn't realise Starmer had already lost the next election, but if you're being facetious then polling suggests it's premature.

Not everyone is struggling to eat, but middle England - who earn too much for tax credits or other benefits, who are hit by the income tax brackets remaining static forever, who are likely to have high fixed outgoings; but who aren't rich enough to not be affected - are seriously feeling this pinch too and they're the ones who tend to spend.

Keir Starmer won't win the next election unless it turns out the new Tory leader genuinely eats the children of the poor. And even then... ten more years 😁

I think a lot of tories would be all for eating the children of the poor, unfortunately. Might be a vote stealer

This is true, but the headlines, especially the ones the right wing media will make sure we all see, will be "tax" cuts. People will vote on this basis.

It’s all bollocks anyway as any of the tax cutters will discover if they win and get a proper look at the books.

We have a huge productivity issue & any tax cuts will mean more burden for younger generations

@SnowyLamb agreed as demonstrated by this thread and every one assuming that we are talking about cutting income tax.....no one is talking about income tax. People must have seen a headline with cutting tax without looking into the specifics

Several of them are talking about cuts in NIC and Zahawi has pledged to cut 2p off income tax.

Thought the increase in NI was to fund social care ?

who needs social care when there's an election to be won