Labour has announced that in Government we will repeal the
Bedroom Tax. We’ll pay for that by
reversing Government measures including the recent tax cut for hedge funds, the
shares for rights scheme (which opened up a massive £1 billion tax loophole)
and tackling tax scams in the construction industry.
This will provide a glimmer of hope to the over 400,000
disabled people hit by David Cameron’s cruel and unfair measure.
The move also demonstrates what life under Labour will be
like. Not borrowing more in these tough
times, but using Labour values to guide a different set of Labour priorities.
The fact remains that the Bedroom Tax does not deal with the
problem that it’s supposed to solve, that of under-occupation. In fact, the Government’s costings on the
amount raised from the Bedroom Tax explicitly assume that people do not move
into smaller properties.
It is because Labour is serious about getting the social
security bill down that repealing the Bedroom Tax is the right thing to do. As well as being cruel and unfair, growing
evidence shows that the Bedroom Tax costs more than it saves, partly because
those forced to move to the private rented sector will end up costing more in
Housing Benefit. Councils and Housing
Associations say that tens of millions of pounds are likely to be lost through
the build up of arrears.
We need a recovery that benefits everyone, not just a few at
the top. Labour’s approach to bringing
social security down will be to ensure that more people are in work. That is why we want to help to make work pay
by introducing a lower 10p starting rate of tax – paid for by a mansion tax –
and to repeat the tax on bankers’ bonuses to pay for a compulsory jobs
guarantee for young people.
Unlike this vicious, shameful and shameless Tory-Lib Dem Government,
who look after the rich and powerful at the expense of the poorest and most vulnerable
citizens, Labour will deliver fairness for everyone
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