Labour accuse Tories of ‘desperate lies’ over tax bombshell claim

The Labour party have accused the Conservatives of “desperate lies” after being accused of planning to hit voters with over £1,000 in additional tax if they are re-elected next month.

The Conservatives said that proposals to hike income tax and council tax for Welsh workers, plus new taxes on drivers parking at work and using trunk roads, would “hammer the incomes of hardworking people”.

However, Labour shot back saying that “These are desperate lies. The Tories have given up on the truth and are spouting nonsense to scare people.”

“None of our spending plans rely on increasing taxes, including income tax,” they said. “There’s no trunk road tax.

“The Tories are the only party that plan for a tax hike on tourism, with the current VAT rate of 5% for tourism businesses in Wales from September, back up to 20% by March.

“And on council tax, bills are rising more sharply in England thanks to deliberate Tory choices.”

‘Disaster’

The Welsh Conservatives said they had calculated that each working adult could pay up to £1,084 a year under Labour.

This is made up by a potential increase of 1% in the basic rate of income tax (£138), increase in council tax (£32), a parking levy (£424) and new road tolls for driving to work (£490), based on 1.39 million working adults.

Branding any tax rises “reckless” and “devastating,” Welsh Conservative economy spokesperson, Russell George said they would be “devastating for hardworking Welsh people”.

“After the most difficult 12 months peacetime Wales has ever experienced, we need to be helping families, workers and businesses get back on their feet – not taxing them to high heaven,” he said.

“Labour’s plans would hold back our economic recovery and hit people where it hurts most – in the pocket with a £1,084 tax bombshell – spelling disaster for Wales.

“This is a double whammy from Labour who have caused Welsh workers to already miss out on £2,600 a year, compared to the pay of Scottish and English workers.

“We need to turn the page after 22 years of Labour, and only the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to build a stronger economy and a better Wales, without introducing new taxes.”