Brown's Budget Hammers Worse Off

Sir

On Wednesday we saw Gordon Brown's last budget, and once again his stealth taxes will hammer ordinary people. In what was portrayed as a tax-cutting budget, Brown has hit those who can least afford it the hardest - low earners and small businesses.

As a result of this budget, a single person without children earning less than £16,000 a year, such as an NHS maternity care assistant, will actually be worse off and pay more tax. While families like Gordon Brown's, earning over £42,000 a year, will see little change.

Mike Warburton, senior tax partner at accountants Grant Thornton, says to today's (Thu) Financial Times: "...this effectively penalises some of the poorest families...to pay for his pre-election giveaway. He is even increasing the claw-back rate for tax credits...so that some of the poorest people in the country will suffer marginal tax rates of 70pc."

And while the headline grabbing cut in Corporation tax will be good for his friends in large multinational companies, small businesses in the West Midlands will actually face a rise in small business taxes! This can only harm investment and employment in the region.

Damian Reece, writing in today's (Thu) Telegraph, sums it up: "Brown's new friends in the City will be celebrating. Midlands metal bashers may not."

It's no surprise that since Gordon Brown has been Chancellor, Britain has dropped from 4th to 10th in the International Competitiveness League (according to the World Economic Forum's 2006 report), and business investment as a proportion of GDP has now fallen below 10% for the first time since records began. Brown is literally strangling our economy with his stealth taxes and red tape.

If this is what he does as Chancellor, how much damage will he cause as Prime Minister?

Daniel Byles

Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North Warwickshire