Fri, 02 Mar 2012

With work experience in the news, Jenny Willott introduces a debate on Youth Unemployment going to spring conference next weekend.

Party’s tax policy gets popular vote

The Liberal Democrat policy of lifting more low and middle-income people out of paying tax altogether is resonating strongly with the general public.
In an opinion poll conducted by Opinium between February 21 and 23, voters were asked whether they were more or less likely to vote for the Liberal Democrats based on the current tax policy of raising the income tax threshold to £10,000.

• One fifth of all voters (21 per cent) say they are more likely to vote for the Liberal Democrats based on the party’s current tax policy
• 19 per cent of Conservative voters are more likely to vote Liberal Democrat
• 21 per cent of Labour voters are more likely to vote Liberal Democrat
  

The Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Treasury Parliamentary Policy Committee Stephen Williams said: “Nick Clegg has made clear the Liberal Democrats want to go further and faster when it comes to cutting taxes for working people.
“These are tough times and we know people are feeling squeezed. That’s why we want to do the right thing and put money back in people’s pockets.

“Liberal Democrats have always been clear our priority is tax cuts for people on low and middle incomes, not the rich. That’s why we put this policy on the front page of our manifesto and it’s why we want to go further and faster.”
The policy is most popular in the West Midlands (29 per cent now more likely to vote Lib Dem) and the East Midlands (28 per cent). But this plays well in every region. In Scotland, where we did badly in 2011, 18 per cent of people are now more likely to vote Lib Dem.

The issue is also very popular with young people (30 per cent of 18-34yos say they are more likely to vote Lib Dem).
Other polling has also shown the policy to be popular, with YouGov recently reporting 83 per cent support. They reported: “The majority of Britons favour an increase in personal tax allowance, saying that workers should not pay tax on the first £10,000 of their earnings.”

“83 per cent support an increase on personal tax allowance, so that people do not pay tax on the first £10,000 of their earnings, eight per cent oppose the increase.”