Another Labour Policy - Another Fail

doire_2

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8598020.stm


Business leaders back Conservative tax pledge






Bosses of some of the UK's biggest firms have backed Conservative plans to axe part of Labour's planned National Insurance rise if they win power. The 23 - including Marks & Spencer's and Next's bosses - said the 1% NI increase was a "tax on jobs" and would "endanger" economic recovery.
David Cameron called it a "significant" moment in the election campaign.
Labour called Tory plans an "unfunded promise". The Lib Dems called the Tory proposal "utterly unconvincing".
Ministers have argued that the tax-cutting pledge contradicts the opposition's long-standing position that reducing the UK's budget deficit should be the number one priority for the next government.
'Wrong time'
If they win the election, the Conservatives plan to scrap the planned April 2011 National Insurance rise for anyone earning less than £45,400 a year, which they say would save people £150 a year on average and also reduce the tax burden on firms.

Cutting government waste won't endanger the recovery, but putting up national insurance will


Letter to the Daily Telegraph

The endorsement of their position comes from a group of high-profile businessmen, including Marks & Spencer chief executive Sir Stuart Rose, Sainsbury's boss Justin King and easyGroup's Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
Writing to the Telegraph, the business leaders said the proposed NI increase was an "additional tax on jobs" and would come into effect "at exactly the wrong time in the economic cycle".
'Counter-productive'
In addition, they also support the Conservatives' plan to pay for the move by cutting £6bn of government waste and bureaucracy in 2010-11 instead - an aspiration the Lib Dems say is totally unrealistic.
In the letter, the company bosses said they were responsible for ensuring their firms came through the recession in "good shape" and that the NI rise would be counter-productive.
"In the last two years, businesses across the country have cut their costs without undermining the service they provide," the letter says. "It is time for the government to do the same."


It adds: "As taxpayers we would welcome more efficiency in government. As businessmen we know that stopping the National Insurance rise will protect jobs and support the recovery.
"Cutting government waste won't endanger the recovery, but putting up National Insurance will."

Linton

Is it a surprise that well paid company directors support the Conservatives?

doire_2

Linton wrote: »

Is it a surprise that well paid company directors support the Conservatives?

Not when the last 13 years of government have been run by a bunch of muppets its not

markharding557

Linton wrote: »

Is it a surprise that well paid company directors support the Conservatives?

Those sorts always have and always will back the cons despite the fact that there is not much difference between them.
The conservatives current opposition to ni rises seems a bit rich given majors government did increase ni.
I suspect their opposition will quietly disappear after the election

robin_banks

To quote Mandy Rice-Davis " Well they would, wouldn't they"?.

Non news item.

drc

It's a no-brainer that everything should be done to encourage business and people to work and that increasing NI is not going to help the situation. Yes, the Tories may not be much better than NuLabour but surely anything which encourages and helps the private sector, the section of society which actually pays for all the other parts, is essential. If business is discouraged and penalised with punative taxes then we all suffer and those in the public sector should realise how essential bringing in money from the private sector is to their jobs.

ben500

The Tories know there is no point in them putting up national insurance as half the country will be out of work if they get in.

System

This is why politics is stupid,Tories criticising something that you can guarantee they will do if they get in.

Spartacus_Mills

doire wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8598020.stm


Business leaders back Conservative tax pledge

I expect two things to happen.

The hard of thinking Labour bunkerbots will be out in force across the forums and the blogosphere slagging these businessmen offand smearing them, the same businessmen whom Labour have ingratiated themselves with over the last 20 years.

Secondly Labour will get a letter out tomorrow from a group of businessmen who think their policy is fantastic and the Tories are wrong and they will send a letter to the Guardian or Independent.

Such is the venal, self-serving nature of Labour.

StevieJ

So 14 leaders of the top 250 companies back the Tories proposals, wonder what the other 236 think ?

Nine of the 23 signatories to the letter run FTSE 100 companies and a further five are in the FTSE 250 (news) . Between them they employ more than 500,000 people.

Spartacus_Mills

Joeskeppi wrote: »

This is why politics is stupid,Tories criticising something that you can guarantee they will do if they get in.

Guarantee. Of course you cannot guarantee it. Nothing is guaranteed with manifesto pledges after all Gordon Brown said in 2008 "Manifesto pledges are not subject to legitimate expectation", so that makes it alright then.

Vote Lib Dem.