Cameron pledges 10p tax campaign

David Cameron has said that the Conservative by-election campaign in Crewe and Nantwich will be based on the scrapping of the 10p rate of tax rate.

 

Speaking at his monthly press conference on Tuesday, the Tory leader said that the policy was key to overturning Labour's 7,078 majority.

 

He said: "Our message will focus in particular on the 10p tax rate and how Gordon Brown is hurting the people of Crewe with tax increases just at the moment their cost of living is going up.

 

"People in Crewe know that the more of them who vote Conservative on May 22, the clearer the message will be to Gordon Brown to do more to help those who will suffer from the 10p tax rate."

 

Cameron attacked Gordon Brown's "tax con" Budget that scrapped the lowest level of income tax but refused to come up with a specific Conservative alternative.

 

He said: "We opposed the tax con Budget right from the start. We said it was a tax con, we said it would hit low earners; that's why we opposed it.

 

"What we are saying to the government now, and we have been working with Frank Field and others, is to make sure they do everything they can to compensate the losers.

 

"And if that means unlocking the Budget and re-writing parts of the Budget and changing tax codes and changing allowances, then the government should do that.

 

"What Gordon Brown has been doing is just using the tax credit system and the winter fuel allowance and not actually reopening the Budget and he ought to do that to try and help as many of the 5.3 million affected as he should."

 

However the Conservatives have refused to say how they would refund the losers from the tax change, with Cameron turning down several requests from reporters to do so.