Green Party to demand wealth tax to ‘defend public services’
The Green Party will demand the government introduces a wealth tax when Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her first budget next month.
Giving a speech at his party’s annual conference in Manchester, co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the UK “needs to invest in defending public services and protecting our environment – and we can do that with some changes to the tax system to ask the wealthiest in society to pay a little more”.
He said he expected Ms Reeves to say there was “no money” in the public purse due to the £22bn “black hole” Labour claims has been left by the last Conservative government.
But Mr Ramsay said he would tell the chancellor “she’s not looking in the right place”, accusing accused of knowing “the price of everything and the value of nothing”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
During the election campaign, the Green Party called for a wealth tax of 1% on assets worth over £10m and 2% on assets worth more than £1bn, claiming it would raise £15bn by the end of the parliament and impact fewer than 1% of UK households.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Ramsay stuck to the pledge, saying: “[These tax] changes are modest by the standards of many other European countries who recognise that having high quality public services and a greener economy needs investment.
“I proudly championed a wealth tax during the general election campaign, and I will do the same on budget day.
“And I will do the same every single day I hear this government claim that we can’t afford to pay for the necessary climate action, or to make sure everyone has a safe, affordable, warm home, or to fund our much loved NHS.”
The green Party secured the most seats they have ever had in parliament at July’s general election. Pic: AP
The co-leader pledged to work with Labour “where we agree”, including on onshore wind projects or taking railways back into national ownership.
But he added: “In so many areas, ones that matter deeply to so many of us, Labour is getting it wrong.”
Speaking to Sky News after the speech, Mr Ramsay added: “The last government undoubtedly left the country in a mess. But Labour have more choices than they are saying.
“And they’ve chosen really cruel options, like cutting winter fuel payments to millions of pensioners… [keeping] the two-child benefit cap, which is putting 300,000 children unnecessarily into poverty.
“They’re cutting funding for nature friendly farming. It’s not good for farmers. It’s not good for the natural world.
“There are alternatives to these things that will enable us to invest in our public services and defend the environment.”
The Greens are holding their first party conference since their most successful general election to date, which saw them secure four seats in the House of Commons and two million votes.
It kicks off a season of political conferences, with all major parties due to meet in the coming weeks.
Most RWAs remain isolated and underutilized instead of composable, DeFi-ready building blocks. It’s time to change that.
Thousands of savers face potential losses after a $2.7 million shortfall was discovered at Ziglu, a British crypto fintech that entered special administration.
Politics
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
Politics Hub: Catch up on the latest
Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
Read more:
Reeves won’t rule out tax rises
What is a wealth tax and how would it work?
👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈      
Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike