A good rule of thumb in politics is that tax cuts help the well-off while public spending rises benefit those who are struggling.
The Tory track record of the last decade has been to stuff money into the pockets of the rich at the same time as cutting benefits for the poor.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement to MPs yesterday confirmed the age-old Conservative principle of looking after your own.
With inflation rampant, gas bills going through the roof and prices soaring at the petrol pumps, this should have been a statement for low-income people in Britain.
It should have been the moment when Sunak apologised for slashing Universal Credit by £20 a week and announced a U-turn.
It should have been the time when the Chancellor unveiled an above- inflation increase for people who survive on benefits.
It should also have been the platform to deliver a special cost-of-living payment for everyone in need.
The reality is Sunak announced a series of gimmicks that will reward people who do not need the money.
His decision to increase the rate at which National Insurance is paid will help people on £15,000 a year but it will also give a boost to those on five times this amount.
His announcement of a 1p cut to income tax – delivered by 2024 – was a bribe aimed at the next election rather than the here and now.
Cutting fuel duty by 5p a litre will be welcomed by motorists but it will quickly be gobbled up by increased costs in other areas.
The most appalling aspect of the “mini budget” was limiting increases to benefits by 3.1 per cent – despite inflation being much
higher.
People on social security include workers on low incomes and they depend on benefit payments to get through the day.
Universal Credit is a lifeline and such a derisory increase will plunge even more children into poverty.
People across the UK are crying out for a government that takes radical action to protect incomes and taxes companies making obscene profits.
But if you are poor, vulnerable or frail then 2022 is shaping up to be a hugely challenging year.
Sunak could have helped people at the bottom of the income heap but yet again he chose to prioritise Tory voters.
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