Labour is right on taxation

The opinion polls give the Tories a significant lead over Labour.  A big question is whether Jeremy Corbyn can reconnect with voters during the general election campaign.  Some might argue it is Boris Johnson's to lose, but Labour has a case if it can get its message across.

Whether Labour can win or not, it is right that the party should challenge the richest to make a fair contribution to society.

The Tory media attack Labour's tax policies, but their difficulty is they cannot now attack Labour's spending programme.   The Tories have also offered more public spending.   That has to be paid for.

The Tories offer tax cuts to the wealthiest; Labour is more honest.  Spending plans have to be paid for, and the budget deficit dealt with.  Labour is right to target inequality.

The UK has a very high level of income inequality compared to other developed countries.  Yet, the poorest are the ones who have paid for the greed of bankers.

Poverty in the UK has risen with over 4 million children living in poverty; social care is in crisis; the NHS is underfunded.  Our schools are crumbling; we have a shortage of nurses; in-house NHS services are being outsourced.

There is something obscene in the concentration of wealth, particularly with the impact of a decade of austerity. 

While the top fifth in the UK has nearly 50% of the country's income and 60% of the country's wealth, the bottom fifth has only 4% of the income and only 1% of the wealth.  

 

Inequality is the elephant in the room.  Nobody dared speak of it.  Instead, politicians focused on the idea of trickle-down.  If the rich get richer, then the poorest will also benefit from the crumbs. 

 

The Tories branded the poorest and needy as 'work-shy' and cut social support to force them into poverty wages. 

The UK has a very high level of income inequality compared to other developed countries.

The Tories will boast that median income has been rising by 2.2% on average for the last five years.  But this is a distortion.  

Most of this is accounted for by a 4.7% rise in average income for the wealthiest fifth. The poorest fifth, on the other hand, have seen incomes fall by 1.6%.  The poor are poorer, the rich are richer after a decade of austerity.  Labour's case is that the wealthiest must pay their fair share as their incomes have risen.   

We need fairness and social justice.  That is why Labour is right to address this through taxation, and it is why we should call the bluff of the wealthy who say they will leave the country if Corbyn wins.