Money money money
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Dear George Osborne,
Your announcement this morning concerning the plans for public spending under a future Conservative government was well delivered. Telling the British electorate that you will stick with Labour’s spending plans was, in my opinion, a fairly bold move. There is no question that the last Conservative government had lower tax rates than Labour, and historically I think it is reasonable to say that Conservatives have kept taxes lower. It was interesting to read that you still refuse to make any firm commitments to cutting taxes, in order to stave off criticism from opponents on all sides – despite similar calls from within the Conservative Party itself.
Even though I very much agree with the policy of spelling out to voters what you intend to do about public services and other government expenditures, I am still concerned about the long-term ramifications of your announcement this morning. With public sector debt at £500 billion (predicted to rise to £540 billion within the next six months), I find it hard to believe that you are willing to go along with Labour’s spending policies knowing the damage that it is causing our national finances. I can only hope that your commitment to match Labour is a strategic short-term offering to remove the ‘Tories will cut taxes’ argument from political circles, because if and when you become the Chancellor of the Exchequer you will be faced with some harsh realities. You will certainly be able to spend the government’s money more efficiently than Gordon Brown has done, but will this give you enough breathing space?
Yours sincerely,
A.Tory
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