Gordon Brown played a part in the UK’s current budget deficit

Gordon Brown’s decision to reduce the income tax rate from 22% to 20% was reckless, says Robin Gill. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Larry Elliott’s authoritative piece on the parallels between today’s economic and political trends and those of the 1930s (After the Crash, The 1930s supplement, 4 March) surprisingly omits mention of one contribution to the UK’s current budget deficit: Gordon Brown’s reckless decision in his last budget as chancellor to reduce the income tax rate from 22% to 20%. Had we retained higher tax revenues then, would the coalition and Tory governments have had the excuse to impose George Osborne’s unprecedented and profoundly regressive austerity budgets and the Brexit outcome they probably contributed to?
Robin Gill
Oxford

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