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🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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Is my hon. Friend interested, as I am, in the line developed by the Liberal Democrats that the 50p rate was in place only at the end of the previous Labour Government for a very short time?
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Indeed. This is all about the choices made to bring down the deficit. We made a choice—a forward offer or plan—to use a higher top rate of income tax to bring down the deficit, and the Liberal Democrats decided to vote against that strategy.
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When the Chancellor decided to increase VAT, he must have asked Treasury officials to produce projections on its likely impact on the economy at that point. It would be interesting, would it not, to compare the projections given to him by Treasury officials with an official report, which this new clause suggests should be commissioned, to see whether the two tally up?
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Will my hon. Friend give way?
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As my hon. Friend will have noted, the new clause states that the Chancellor should produce a report within three months of the passing of the Act. I suspect that the Treasury already have these figures and could probably move more quickly. If her point about businesses is right and businesses are complaining to Members, they must also be feeding this information back to the Treasury, so I...
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Will my hon. Friend give us a bit more detail about new clause 1? I would like the study to look at the impact of VAT on the poorest people in our community, who are hit disproportionately by increases in VAT. The Conservative party has form on VAT, so the poorest people will be very concerned that it will rise again after the election.
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Does the hon. Gentleman agree that VAT is a regressive tax in principle? Can he tell us why the Government chose to use an increase in VAT as a tool for bringing down the deficit?
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I am pleased to say that Telford & Wrekin council has signed the covenant on a cross-party basis. What has the Minister done internally, within the Government, to ensure that individual Departments are delivering on the covenant? The Ministry of Defence is doing a very good job, but it is important for other Departments to commit themselves as well.
More of David Wright's speeches and debates
✍️ Written Questions and Answers
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what payments the Government has made to (a) Capgemini and (b) Fujitsu for work decommissioning tax credits.
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the integration costs likely to be incurred when passing HM Revenue and Customs Aspire Contract Work to potential new suppliers.
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the National Audit Office report, Managing and replacing the Aspire contract, HC 444, published on 22 July 2014, if he will estimate the savings to the public purse that he expects to accrue from the improvement in HM Revenue and Customs IT service availability identified in that report.
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the replacement for the HM Revenue and Customs contract will involve provision and a costing for support for tax credits.
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many apprentices were removed from their apprenticeship programme to cover tax credit renewal work in the last two weeks of July 2014; and where such apprentices were based.
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff by grade and pay band were moved to the tax credit renewal work by HM Revenue and Customs business area in the last two weeks of July 2014.
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data on UK taxpayers is held by Fujitsu; and where the relevant data centre is.
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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the extra cost to HM Revenue and Customs arising from the time taken to implement universal credit.
More of David Wright's written questions
