Like James, I applauded Cameron’s tax-cutting plan – the right cut, in the right direction, for the right people. But there is one slight hitch. It is promised only if there’s an election this year. The 2009-10 budget starts in April, by which time Cameron probably wont be in power. If there’s an election next year, as is more likely, then the plan will not materialise because there won’t be the money. All these headlines that he hopes to generate will be for nothing.
The Tories don’t say so in terms. But I asked Cameron afterwards if his tax cut offer is valid in 2010-11 when he’s more likely to be in power – and he answered that he can’t tell what the public finances will look like by then. That sounded like a ‘no’ to me.
The reason is that Brown would increase spending by 2 percent in 2009-10, which the Tories would halve and, therefore, do the tax cut.
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