Rishi Sunak's latest comments suggest the Tories' election manifesto calls for further tax cuts. Photo: David Rose for The Telegraph
Rishi Sunak has pledged to cut benefits and government spending to fund tax cuts before and after the general election.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Prime Minister made his clearest commitment to further tax increases. cuts taxes ahead of the election, saying: «When I say I want to keep cutting taxes, that's what we're going to do.»
He added that the Tory party would propose further tax cuts during the election campaign. “I will be crystal clear. My priority is to reduce taxes,” he said.
Mr Sunak has sought to draw a dividing line with Labor by funding tax cuts, putting pressure on Britain's social security bill and overall government spending with measures such as a hiring freeze. on civil servants.
Tax is becoming a key battleground between the Conservatives and Labor, and Mr Sunak has said he wants to focus on «work» taxes in the same vein as the 2p cut to National Insurance, which came into force on Saturday.
His intervention hints at a looming income tax cut in the March 6 Budget, which will be implemented before the election and potentially part-funded by further welfare reforms on top of the £4 billion in savings from changes announced in September. His comments suggest the Tories' election manifesto will include a commitment to further tax cuts.
«I want to keep cutting taxes»
Going further than Jeremy Hunt, who did not guarantee a tax cut on Saturday, Mr Sunak told The Telegraph: “The autumn announcement delivered the biggest tax cut in a single measure since the 1980s. That should give people an idea of the scale of what we've just done, and of my ambition and the Chancellor's determination to cut taxes.
“When I say I want to keep cutting taxes, that's what we're going to do. We're going to do this responsibly. This requires difficult decisions about government spending. Controlling wealth requires difficult decisions. I believe that these are the right actions for our country. That's what I want to do.
«I'm very clear: I want to control government spending, I want to control wealth, which is what we're doing, and because we do that, and because we're disciplined about borrowing and our debt, we'll be able to lower taxes.»
Asked what taxes he would target, Mr Sunak added: “I believe in the nobility of work, I believe work is central to people's lives. And I believe that in a society where people work hard, there must be a society where their hard work is rewarded. And that's why I'm very pleased we've cut National Insurance tax significantly, because it's a tax on work.» Turning to the election, Mr Sunak added: «It will be a contrast between us and the Labor Party in the next elections. A lot of people will tell us, «Oh my gosh, you're not going to spend enough here, there, and everywhere.» I'll be very clear. My priority is cutting taxes, not increasing government spending… That's the plan. The only way to cut taxes over time is to have a smaller and more efficient public sector.»More than 45 Tory MPs are calling on Mr Hunt, the Chancellor, to prepare the Budget ahead of time to ensure that «deeply worrying «Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasting errors are not hampering the UK's economic recovery.
This weekend, the Chancellor appeared to confirm that a cut to inheritance tax was under consideration, calling the levy «disastrous». tax.»
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