Why won't the political parties clarify their tax policies?
Today it was the turn of the Conservative party to come under pressure regarding various comments on UK tax with a suggestion that David Cameron is keeping something back. Yesterday was the turn of the Labour Party to come under pressure after criticism of its pre-budget report reached fever pitch with the suggestion that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling are no longer on speaking terms. So why won't the political parties of the UK clarify their tax policies?
The simple truth is that the UK finances are in such a mess that consumers and businesses will be paying the price for a decade if not a generation. It is difficult to comprehend the damage which has been done to the UK economy and UK finances, with even a suggestion that the government's AAA credit rating could be under threat. This is a situation the like of which we have never seen before but one that the UK government needs to address as soon as possible.
Whoever does win the next election will need to "hit the ground running" and this will effectively mean short to medium term pain for consumers and businesses in the UK in exchange for long-term growth in the UK economy.
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