The
BBC’s flagship current affairs programme
Today broadcast this morning an interview recorded from
Snodland about the abolition of the 10p income tax band, which comes into force tomorrow.
Snodland was described as a previously “staunch Labour” area in “the highly marginal parliamentary constituency of
Chatham &
Aylesford” but that all 7 Labour Councillors lost their seats in last year’s local elections and that a recent town council by-election saw another Labour defeat.
One of former Labour Councillor gave an excellent interview about how disappointed he had been with Gordon Brown and how he had hoped after the defeat in May, the new Leader would help the Party start afresh. But with the bottling of the election in October, and now these tax changes which he said will not help young employed people, he feels let down. An official of the local Labour Party also confessed to being let down but he was more angry about the extra 4p on a pint of beer – and he is not the only one!
The interviewer, rather patronisingly, said unless the former Councillor had briefed the entire town everyone he spoke to was rather well-informed about the abolition of the 10p tax band. The
vox pops he carried out found that people realised the new system was fine if you had children but if you didn’t then you were going to end up worse off. I was less surprised than the interviewer that people both knew what was happening, and weren’t happy about it. I wasn’t asked for a comment but if I had been I would have simply pointed out that people aren’t stupid. They are well aware when they are being ripped off, they don’t like it, and no amount of spin will make them any better off.
You can listen again to the interview
HERE – it was on at 08.10am.