BORIS: I WANT TO CUT TAXES
PM admits help is needed for workers at breaking point
BORIS JOHNSON last night hinted at a Budget tax cut for millions by declaring his desire to “help” ease the financial burdens on working people.
In a live, online question-and-answer session, the Prime Minister acknowledged that taxes needed to be reduced to help lower-income households “at breaking point”.
He insisted the Treasury should cut levies on the low paid whenever possible.
“Where you have the ability to cut taxes, I want to do it to help working people on lower incomes,” he said.
Mr Johnson dropped the hint during a “People’s PMQs” session broadcast from Downing Street on Facebook. It comes ahead of Sajid Javid’s spring Budget scheduled for
March 11.Tory MPs expect the Chancellor to take advantage of low borrowing costs to loosen the Treasury’s purse strings.
One cam viewer called for “lower tax for working people instead of taxing them to breaking point”.
The PM replied: “He’s right. One thing that has already been announced is we’re cutting National Insurance contributions for everybody.That will disproportionately benefit people on lower incomes – and that’s the way we should do it.”
Insisting he wanted to reduce taxes for lower-income workers, he added: “What we’re also doing is lifting the LivingWage by the biggest ever amount.
“That will mean that people earning the LivingWage will see another £930 immediately, almost £1,000 a year more.
“I believe strongly in helping people on low incomes, making sure they are properly paid.We want to move to a high-wage, high-skill economy, uniting and levelling up across the UK.
“That’s the objective of this Government – it’s a mission.”
Mr Johnson also indicated the Government could take advantage of escaping EU tax rules after Brexit to scrap the current five per centVAT charged on sanitary products.
He explained: “The Chancellor will be making all sorts of calculations and it will be a very exciting Budget.
“What I can say is I really do appreciate the importance of keeping the price of sanitary products low.”
Mr Johnson also hailed cash boost for the health service.
He added: “We’re giving the biggest ever cash boost to the NHS, £34billion, and we’re legislating to ensure we invest at record levels in the NHS. “I accept there are problems in the NHS. I accept that waiting times in A&E are unacceptable. We will deal with them and we are absolutely determined to fund the NHS properly.” Mr Johnson told the webchat he was “full of optimism” about the coming negotiations for a trade deal with the EU.
“I think it is massively in the interests of both sides of the Channel to have a wonderful zero-tariff, zero-quota, all-singing, all-dancing Free Trade Agreement,” he said. “I’m absolutely confident we can do that.We leave in a state of grace.” But he was stumped when asked what shampoo he uses. “I honestly don’t know,” he replied. “It’s blue and it comes in a tube.”