Time for this conspiracy of silence to be terminated
THE Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is to be applauded for tackling the elephant in the room in this General Election campaign – namely, the stark choices that the key political parties will have to make in relation to the public finances if elected (‘Manifestos ignoring ‘toxic mix’ of fiscal challenges, says IFS’, June 25).
We in the UK are experiencing the highest level of debt for more than 60 years. The tax burden is at a record high, and public services are struggling.
While the government is paying huge interest on this debt and welfare bills have grown, spending on health is likely to increase because of an ageing population, with the funding of defence also set to rise. The solution – to deliver increased investment, higher economic growth – is a pipe dream in at least the short to medium term.
Taxes will therefore have to rise – despite a commitment by the main political parties not to raise VAT, national insurance or income tax – or cuts made in public services, the alternative being to borrow more and see debt continue to escalate.
The main political parties must end this conspiracy of silence and be honest with the public as to what is in store further down the line. However, I would urge voters not to hold their breath on this happening.
Alex Orr, Edinburgh. and the 26 Church of England bishops, Bryant states that every Tory donor who has given more than £3 million is now sitting in the Lords.
In six years, David Cameron appointed 245 new peers, followed by Boris Johnson who appointed 86 in three years. The scandal is, of course, not exclusive to the Tories. Tony Blair somehow survived the “cash for honours” scandal and appointed 374 peers in just three years.
The Covid crisis is a classic example of the incompetence and cronyism at work at Westminster. Demonstrably, the Tory government was not prepared for the Covid pandemic, having chosen to ignore the advice of senior health officials who had war-gamed the impact of a pandemic.
Furthermore, successive Tory and Labour governments have allowed, or failed to tackle, the arrangements that allow our wealthiest citizens to effectively wave two fingers at HMRC to exploit the shell companies, offshore trusts and the Crown dependencies to avoid paying tax on an industrial scale. This is costing the public purse billions.
Of course, the Scottish Government has made mistakes and errors of judgment during its years in office but there is nothing at Holyrood to match the trough that is Westminster. Will Labour behave any better once in office?