Clegg seeks to persuade tax plan doubters

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has sought to persuade his party to back his tax cutting proposals before a crucial conference vote.

In an interview with ePolitix.com ahead of the Bournemouth gathering, Clegg said that it is "obvious" that most struggling families would back the controversial plans.

The leadership wants to cut £20bn from public spending and use the money to reduce tax on low and middle income earners.

Asked about the forthcoming conference vote, Clegg said: "The principal is very, very simple. We have already adopted and agreed as a party one of the fairest tax switches in recent years in British politics.

"We have set out in considerable detail how we would lighten the tax burden on ordinary families by closing a lot of the loopholes and exemptions that the people at the top end presently enjoy. That is already established and uncontroversial.

"The additional bit that is to be debated is that we want to go even further and give even further tax breaks to people on middle incomes by shaving off a bit off government expenditure and giving it back to people by providing them with a bit of extra money in their pockets."

Despite the reservations of some grassroots members, traditionally to the left of the parliamentary party, Clegg insisted that the plans were consistent with the party's ethos.

"If you ask a young family struggling to put food on the table, pay for the full tank of petrol, pay for their heating bill whether they want a bit of money back to see them through the looming recession or they want it to disappear into the coffers in Whitehall, I think it is obvious what the answer would be.

"Our tax proposal is very much on the side of the people, as opposed to simply giving more money to the centralised New Labour system, and I think that is exactly where our party should be and it is very much in line with our longstanding principles of fairness and also the belief that central government doesn't necessarily know best," Clegg said.