Political opinion: Tax changes set to leave Crawley families £870 worse off

This item has been submitted by the Labour Party. Figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility reveal that despite the National Insurance changes, the increase in the total tax burden over the forecast period means Crawley households will be left an average of £870 worse off. A combined loss to Crawley's economy of almost £40m.

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In his Budget statement, Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced changes to National Insurance which will see residents' tax bills cut by 5p in the pound. However, the UK is currently facing its highest tax burden in 70 years, with fiscal drag continuing to put increasing numbers of workers into higher tax bands each year. As a result, the average worker will see their overall tax burden increase by 10p in the pound, double the cut announced by the Chancellor.

With interest rates already pushing many residents into homelessness, over a third of the town's children growing up in poverty, and local foodbanks increasingly struggling with local demand, these tax increases will only make it harder for families in Crawley to keep their heads above water.

Commenting on the figures, Labour's candidate for Crawley, Peter Lamb, said: "We simply cannot afford another five years of the same policies which have pushed the economy into recession, increased taxes to their highest level in living memory, and left local services on the brink of collapse.

"In Crawley, our local party has been organising regular collections for foodbanks for over a year, but while this is a generous town, the level of need keeps getting worse every day. It's time for a General Election and a change of direction."