NOVANEWS
Dear,
We’ve just heard George Osborne’s plans for massive spending cuts. We still don’t know all the details. But it’s going to hurt. Our schools, hospitals and police will all face huge cuts. People will lose their jobs. After Christmas, VAT goes up – a tax we all have to pay whether we’re rich or poor. [1]
Yesterday the government used the spending cuts as cover to slash the BBC. Thousands of us contacted our MPs to protest – we helped see off some of the most extreme plans. But the budget was still cut 16% and the licence fee was raided to pay for other things. Popular BBC services like 6 Music are now straight back in the firing line. [2]
Today, our MPs will be weighing up how their voters feel about spending cuts. We need to make sure they’re hearing from us. Let’s tell them what we think. If we’re worried they’re cutting too fast, too deep or in the wrong way, let’s say so. If we think more could be done to tackle tax dodging, let’s ask them why it isn’t happening.
Please click here to take two minutes to send your MP an e-mail telling them how you’re feeling about the spending cuts: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/spending-cuts
Today Osborne says “we’re all in this together”. But on Monday, Channel 4 revealed that along with two other Cabinet ministers he’s avoiding paying tax. They aren’t breaking the law. But they are paying accountants to help them find loopholes. These kind of tax dodges cost the rest of us billions. [3]
It’s not just George Osborne and his Cabinet colleagues who’ve been avoiding paying tax. Other government figures are doing it too. Lord Ashcroft saved millions through being a non-dom. Sir Philip Green gives the government advice on saving money – he saves millions in tax himself because his wife “lives in Monaco”. [4]
It seems like some politicians think it’s fine for rich people to avoid tax. They do it and so do their friends. How can we trust them to be doing all they can to close tax loopholes when they’re using the loopholes themselves?
Please e-mail your MP. Tell them what you think about George Osborne’s cuts plans, which cuts you’re worried about and ask them why on earth they aren’t doing more to tackle tax dodges:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/spending-cuts
George Osborne claims all these cuts are needed to balance the budget. Many economists agree that action needs to be taken, but lots warn these cuts are dangerously deep and fast. Even some ministers have admitted the cuts increase the risk of a “double dip” recession. [5]
MPs need to start hearing what we think. Do you think everyone is paying their fair share? Is it right that taxes on bankers’ bonuses are being dropped just as the cuts start to bite? Should George Osborne be listening to warnings that the cuts could make the deficit even worse by causing a fresh recession?
Click here to send a quick e-mail to your MP and tell them what you think:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/spending-cuts
Thanks for being involved,
David, Hannah, Johnny, and the 38 Degrees team
P.S. We’re getting some great ideas in for our tax cheats ad campaign. Check out the latest, and add your own ideas, by clicking here: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2010/10/14/help-design-our-spoof-tax-cheat-adverts
NOTES
[1] There are summaries of information about the announcements here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11569160
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/oct/19/spending-review-2010-live-blog
[2] See a more detailed breakdown on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11579979
[3] See for example:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-72/episode-1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11342237
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/sep/22/tax-gap-information-beautiful
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23878762-ministers-staggered-at-tax-dodging-under-labour.do
http://citywire.co.uk/new-model-adviser/tax-evasion-costs-treasury-15-times-more-than-benefit-fraud/a378274
[4] See for example:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ashcroft-tax-row-resurfaces-2111352.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7904212.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7046038.ece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/aug/19/philip-green-liberal-democrats-tax
[5] See for example:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/oct/18/david-blanchflower-warns-against-spending-cuts
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1319043/Chris-Huhne-Spending-cuts-scaled-back.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/14/britain-danger-collapse-ken-clarke
