Budget tip for Brown

David Ottewell

March 18, 2006

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GORDON Brown has been urged to freeze taxes in next week's Budget.

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said the Chancellor should simplify the tax system, improve public transport and road network and prune back the rapidly-growing number of public sector jobs.

During a visit to Manchester yesterday he reiterated the Conservatives' support for the Metrolink tram extension in Greater Manchester and backed greater use of road tolls - but refused to commit his party to cutting taxes themselves.

He told business leaders at a conference in Manchester: "The first thing we should do is stop the increases in taxation and start the process of tax simplification.

"We need to stop the ever-increasing share of national income being taken by the state and ever increasing number of people working in the public sector. The Chancellor should be making the savings in bureaucracy and waste he promised."

Supported

Mr Osborne said he supported the extension of the Metrolink, but would not "sign a blank cheque for '900m".

He also had an uncompromising message for the prime minister, claiming Tony Blair had "run out of road" after being forced to rely on Tory votes to get his education reforms through the Commons.

Mr Osborne was speaking at the offices of KPMG in Manchester's St James' Square. Later he went on to visit Audio Design Services Worldwide, a business in Stockport that has combined British design expertise with Chinese manufacturing.

Former Tory leader Michael Howard has announced he will stand down as an MP at the next election.

He said: "By the time of the next election I will have been an MP for 26 years.

"I have been very privileged to serve as a government minister for 12 years and in the shadow cabinets for six years but the time has now come to move on."

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Jake long, Manchester, City Centre (19/03/2006 at 12:19)

Why are all parliamentarians anti car? It is the society that they have created that makes the car a necessity for modern life. Any advocation of road tolls is nothing more than stupid and aginst the will of 95% of the electorate (source M.E.N.). This coming from a tory after the way that labour have treated road users only goes to prove that we need true representatives in parliament and not political parties. The road network needs the money which the tax payer has invested in it, actually spending on it, not busses, not trams, not trains but roads. It is simply not fair for road users to subsidise every other mode of transport with high fuel tax, Road Tax, MOT's, Insurance Taxes and all the numerous stealth taxes.

Fixit, Middleton (20/03/2006 at 10:29)

I have read in the Spectator, one of the new higher taxes proposed is for the use of 4x4 cars and larger engined vehicles? Does this mean the government will lead by example and issue its cabinet with Smart cars or hybrid models? Thought not, Jags all round then for the cabinet and it will come from general taxation too. Love it when a government leads by example...........

Chris, Manchester (20/03/2006 at 14:55)

So all 3 main political parties have voiced their support for road tolls of one form or another - and they wonder why no-one bothers voting anymore! Maybe as no-one in the main political parties actually represents the ordinary man-on-the-street?

It's high time we had a 'None of the above' option on ballot papers - that would show them how disenfranchised we feel.

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