Sunday 6 April 2008

Low paid need Robin Hood not robbin' bleeders!

So Business Secretary John Hutton has ruled out a rethink on then government's decision to make low earners pay more tax, by scrapping the 10p tax band (BBC News: 'No rethink' on tax rate - Hutton). Well, it won't adversely affect him and his fat-cat cronies, who are on rather more than £18k per year, will it!

It will, however, further impoverish millions of low-paid people, including the 5 million poorest households. It will lay the belt into people who are already struggling with price hikes on energy, petrol and water. It can only add to the already scary number of people becoming insolvent every year :-( If anyone reading this still has any illusions that the New Labour party still gives a flying f**k about working class people, for f**k's sake WAKE UP !!!

People often ask, how can we afford to give more money to less well off people. Well, for starters, it is workers who actually create the wealth (both in the UK and throughout the world), which is siphoned off by the rich fat-cats who this government are currently in bed with.

But paying more money to low paid workers is not only important from a social justice angle. It would also benefit the economy hugely, as people on lower incomes tend to spend more of their money on goods and services - hence keeping more people in work - than the rich. Keynesian economics believes more spending is the best way to boost the economy, but has generally involved printing money and therefore increasing the rate of inflation (which is already way too high!) Taxing the rich to improve the income of poorer workers would remove this problem; the same amount of money would still be in the economy, it would just be distributed better.

If the government won't listen, it's time for us to act. We should support the underpaid public sector workers who are on strike on April 24th, and push for strikes in our own workplaces.

We should also look to replacing this penny-pinching, rich loving, backstabbing government with something better. To this end, I urge all readers to not only vote Respect in the GLA, London Mayor and local council elections; but also to join Respect, and help your local Respect candidate with electioneering. (More details of your local candidates will be posted on the Respect Coalition website). We should also continue to actively support Respect and its candidates between the elections.

Then, maybe when the next general election comes around, it will be the parliamentary majorities of Hutton, Brown, darling and there other right-wing supporters in the government, which will be robbed and left for dead in a dark alley!

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