Guido bumped into Liz Truss last week and complained that her pamphleting “Free Enterprise” Group of Tory MPs wasn’t very right-wing. She looked at Guido arched-eyed and knocked back her drink before stumbling off.
As if to prove the point this morning her “Free Enterprise” Group released a pamphlet arguing for an increase in taxes for the working over-65s:
Older workers who continue to work should pay National Insurance contributions on their earned income. Extra NIC income could be banked or used to give NIC holidays (employee and employer) to young low paid workers.
No doubt they will argue this is revenue neutral and just shifting the tax burden onto the older generation which has had it pretty good. This begs the question; what kind of free enterprise group wants tax hikes and revenue neutrality? The status quo is disastrous, we’re over-taxed to finance Gordon’s Big Government welfare state. The New Labour era saw state spending as a percentage of GDP go up from 35% under Margaret Thatcher to 45% under Gordon Brown. If even a Tory free enterprise group is unwilling to push back on Gordon Brown’s settlement the country is stuffed…
UPDATE:
@trussliz And higher taxes for the elderly.
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) July 9, 2012
@trussliz Here's some free advice. If you want to reduce taxes overall don't recommend hiking any. Particularly to groups who vote.
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) July 9, 2012
@trussliz Am all for simplification and single income tax. You have recommended NI for over-65s. Revenue neutral is not tax cutting. QED.
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) July 9, 2012
@GuidoFawkes agreed, we are preparing paper on that now. But – for any given level of tax, should be collected in least damaging way.
— Elizabeth Truss (@trussliz) July 9, 2012
Happy ending…
