A correspondent writes... - 4 comments
A correspondent writes:
Dear labour partyWhat would your response be?
I am disgusted at the abolishing of the 10p tax rate . This has a considerable impact on my situaion. It works out as a 20% decrease in my pension even after the so calledd cost of living rises being factored in.
I have always voted Labour but will not from now on and this is because you are too "dear" to support.
Incidentally how could such a measure be put through without our guardian politicians bringing it to the publics n otice. I think the accusation of taxation by stealth levelled at the labour party is sadly TRUE.
I and my wife will not vote for you until this injustice is put right.
I also want you to note that I know many poor who are tragically affected by this unjust labour party do you think you will get away with this nasty policy especially with elections coming up. Our forefathers must be turning in their graves.
My MP is Mr Byers Wallsend please pass onto him.
yours sadly.
Mr P Dxxxx
Incidentally, I get a lot of this sort of message. This is by no means the first about the 10p starting rate, but I thought I'd post it as an example. How the 10p rate could be restored without revisiting the entire Budget, I don't know. Who knows what newspaper Mr. Dxxxx reads, or what he can remember of last year's Budget; one thing's for sure, those headlines sure do stick in people's minds.
Labels: Budget, contact form, Labour
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4 comments so far...
Saw a similar message last weekfrom "a lifelong Labour voter". When the CLP records were checked it seems that the sender hardly ever votes and has been canvassed as "against" in the past. And 20% must be an exaggeration - you do the math as they say in the US. Not saying it's not an issue it's just that I always sign myself "former Tory voter" when complaining about their policies (well I did when they had some)...
Thanks, I'll check it against the large collection of Contact Form rants I have at home to see if there are similarities to other ones. I should say I did receive 5 of these in pretty quick succession.
I've no doubt his figures are a mish-mash remembered from newspaper articles, but it's a concern if it's difficult for people to remember how what's been taken has been given back in other ways.
The 20% might, as you say, be an exaggeration - but this letter to the Guardian from yesterday's paper looks reasonably accurate:
"I am a retired teacher on a pension of £5,269.72. I have just received my P60 and pension entitlement. Until this April, I received a monthly income of £439.67. From April 2008, I will be taxed £94 a month, with an income of £355.08. As a result of the abolition of 10% band, I will be £83.72 a month worse off. This is after the 3.9% pension increase. This is a 19% decrease in my net pension.
John Comer
Birmingham"
Just who does "retired teacher" think pays his pension, the Government or taxpayers!?!
He should be grateful he gets something in return for his taxes! In just a few years, most of us in the private sector are now expected to work until we're 68 and then defer claiming our state pension until we're 70!
Does anyone believe the NHS will still be "free" in thirty years time!?!
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