A 1p / 2p raise to income tax should lawfully trigger a general election

[TesChique]

There are vague promises in manifestos, and there are those which are explicit and should be binding except in exceptional circumstances (war etc)

If labour, or any party reneges on a core manifesto promise it should lawfully trigger a general election

They have lied to the public.

AIBU to think we need to see this change in law?

They shouldn't have ever made the promise about not raising taxes. A lot of people knew at the time that they wouldn't be able to stick to it. But we are now where we are, and I would rather that they do what's right for the country than stick rigidly to their manifesto pledges because of the political fallout that would arise from breaking them.

They will be attacked for breaking their promises, no doubt, but equally, they will be blamed if they don't start to turn the country around. So they might as well bite the bullet and do what's necessary.

We have had little growth since 08, no one is turning that around in a few yrs.

Hopefully they’ll be eviscerated for lying.

All parties lie

To you that couple of hundred extra in tax may not be much but to some working people that's a months electricity or a months council tax. That's a couple of hundred that could push them to the limit. Monthly it's not that much but all together it adds up.

That was a year ago. “Events dear boy, events” to quote MacMillan.

Here’s some more. I don’t think the public will be as supportive as pro Labour mn.

Labour's manifesto is, "fully funded and fully costed - no ifs, no ands, no buts… no additional tax rises."

"I have been very clear that every policy we announce, and every line in our manifesto, will be fully costed and fully funded."

“Nothing in our plans requires any additional tax to be increased.”

“We’ve got the Office for Budget Responsibility now… You don’t need to win an election to find out [about the public finances].”

“I don’t believe that fiddling around with tax rates is the best way to grow the economy.”

Income tax should rise, it's much more sensible than tinkering around the edges.

Do people want better services or not? It seems not.

Taxing workers more who are already feeling the pinch will not improve productivity. It's not going to improve public services, a large proportion of it will just be taken up by funding the triple lock.

@EasternStandard Yes they lied but I can't think of a party that hasn't. Can you?

Anyone who was expecting to get away without paying more tax of some description has obviously not been paying attention.

The frozen tax bands make that impossible....

Those lines are pretty strong and to fail so badly. Ik people are quite pro on here but the mood will be against.

I don’t think your ‘they all lie’ excuse will hold.

it's a disgrace. Why should normal working people be taxed even more? None of the problems in the country are our fault.

Although I agree on this, plus debt servicing.

@EasternStandard so is that a no, you can't think of a party that hasn't lied?

I knew about the state of the country’s finances, so it would be quite worrying if the Labour Party didn’t. They were either incredibly stupid and hadn’t been paying attention for years or just pretended they didn’t know so they could hoodwink the further left into accepting their less labour-like policies.

Anyway, they have managed to make them worse now so they have stopped mentioning the size of that black hole.

The triple lock has to go.

Pensioners, on the whole, are not living in anything near poverty but lots of children are.

Taxes on income likely need to rise however. It’s can’t be one thing or the other.

The cliff edges (CB / tax free childcare etc) need to go as well as they drive entirely personally sensible behaviour where people cut their hours but they hamper growth.

This is the type of post that reminds me the opposing political parties post in places like MN to stir up crazy debates all the time.

A general election after breaking a manifesto promise? Are you new to politics? No.

And if I have to pay 1p or 2p more in tax to help other people and our infrastructure, I’m happy to. If I thought the money would be spent properly I’d happily pay more in tax. But that’s a separate issue.

Really? None of the problems. Lots of people expect the state to subsidise their lives.

They shouldn’t have made it a manifesto promise, and I’m really disappointed with some of the decisions Labour are making, but I absolutely welcome the rise. Will I feel it personally? Absolutely. Will I feel it as much as I feel the daily impact of crumbling infrastructure, collapsing public services and the increasing anxiety that we’ll be calling on the IMF if things don’t turn around soon?

Absolutely not.

Labour have inherited an absolute shitshow, after more than a decade of austerity, brexit, Covid cronyism, Truss crashing the fucking economy… they’ll be lucky to turn around the damage in a full term, let alone 18 months.

But ofc that’s been the great trick of the Tories- asset strip and isolate the country, fuck off just as people are beginning to realise what we’ve done, and let someone else take the actual fall.

I despair at the lack of critical thinking, I really do.

About tax and that many assurances. No

You’ll feel it if growth keeps declining and funds can’t increase.

@LittleBearPad

Absolutely but I do not believe any party has the guts to do that.

Workers need more in their pocket for any chance of growth so agree cliff edges should go. I would scrap NI & roll it into one tax. I don't work full time because it pushes me over so not enough gain for me.

I'm not against income tax rises as part of a package of reforms that target old, young, workers, non workers etc

Don’t be daft. Money spent by the government is either paid for by debt our children will carry or by us. In the form of taxes. The government needs to take a bit more and give away a bit less.

Not necessarily. Most self employed/locum higher earners I know are set up as a limited company, pay themselves a minimum salary from their 'company' and then pay themselves a dividend which is taxed much lower. I did this when I worked as a locum. On one hand I think this loophole should be closed, but on the other hand these people are taking higher risk for higher reward, and dont have the same income protections many employed people have, like maternity pay, sick pay, pensions etc.

You’ll feel it if growth keeps declining and funds can’t increase.

We have stagnant & low wages, no growth for years, a fucked housing market which has fuelled intergenerational inequality. Throw in an ageing population & public services that have had no investment plus a funding model that doesn't work & growth will continue to elude us.

No party has told me how they will fix this. We need cross party solutions to have a hope of crawling out of the hole.

@CosyMintFish Thats the crux of it isn’t it and it needs to be multiple sources.