Sir Graham Brady MP has been criticised by local councillors after he voted against a Liberal Democrat amendment in Parliament last week. The amendment would have forced the Government to write to every taxpayer in Trafford facing higher bills as a result of “stealth taxes.”
Brady – who is the MP for Altrincham and Sale West – has come under fire for voting against measures which would have committed the government to informing families directly about the impact of massive stealth taxes pushed through by Conservatives in Parliament last week. The change to the law would have allowed families to plan for the increase in taxes in this cost of living crisis.
Trafford Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader councillor Jane Brophy said, “People across Trafford are juggling so many bills right now, so they need to budget for these tax rises. It is not right that they are being kept in the dark.”
“We have been badly let down by Conservative MPs. Local people are being made to foot the bill for the government’s economic mess, while the big banks and richest corporations get an easy ride. On the same day Conservative MPs chose to keep people in the dark over these stealth hikes, they opposed measures to tax the massive profits of oil and gas companies.”
The Liberal Democrat amendment would have required HMRC to write to every taxpayer hit by the freeze in tax thresholds, spelling out how much extra tax they will be paying and whether they’ve been dragged into a higher rate.
Under the Conservative plan, which sees tax thresholds frozen, the basic rate of tax will be £566 steeper, while someone on the higher rate will pay £2,872 extra a year by 2028.
Councillor Brophy, who represents Timperley, said, “People I speak to aren’t asking for any handouts. The least the government can do is be upfront about how much their policies are going to cost people. People are trying to plan and budget for the future, but they are being undercut by a Conservative government that can’t control the economy. It’s shameful that our local MP did not speak out on this.”