Labour manifesto leaves the door 'wide open to tax rises'By Tim Shipman and James Chapman
Last updated at 9:47 AM on 13th April 2010
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Labour has been accused of leaving the door 'wide open' to painful rises in VAT and other taxes in an election manifesto that failed to explain how Gordon Brown will pay for yet another spending spree.
The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies last night issued a withering verdict on the party's blueprint for a fourth term, concluding it had left key questions on tax and spending unanswered.
As the Government was accused of running up a £22billion spending bill with its manifesto commitments, the respected IFS said the tax burden would be increased by £1,420 per family by 2014 under Labour's plans.
Blueprint: Gordon Brown and his cabinet holding copies of the Labour manifesto yesterday - but it leaves key questions on tax and spending unanswered, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies
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And it revealed that Labour has now increased public spending as a share of national income more steeply than any of 28 major economies across the world.
The manifesto also included a pledge to set up a cross-party commission to consider new taxes to replace council tax.
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