FBU general secretary Steve Wright has commented on a report that a memo from Angela Rayner to the Chancellor called for a series of alternatives to welfare cuts, such as increasing the rate of corporation tax on banks.
It suggested extending the freeze on the threshold at which the 45% tax rate is paid (currently set at £125,140), and scrapping the tax-free allowance on dividends.
It also called for the lifetime pensions allowance to be reinstated, which puts a cap on how much savers could put into their pension before higher tax is applied
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said:
"Angela Rayner was right to push for higher taxes on the wealthy in the Chancellor's spring statement.
"It's clear from the deputy Prime Minister’s intervention that the government has an alternative to making Thatcherite cuts to the Welfare State.
"There's still time for Rachel Reeves to abandon the disastrous austerity that will leave pensioners in the cold, plunge disabled people into poverty, and drive living standards down even further.
“Instead, the Chancellor must tax the rich to end austerity and properly fund public services and pay. It’s time for a wealth tax."
