Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

John Lamont Excerpts
Tuesday 1st October 2019

(5 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sajid Javid Portrait Sajid Javid
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I welcome the hon. Lady’s support. It was this Government who introduced a national living wage in 2016. It was this Government who increased the rate, as recently as April this year. The announcement that we have made, which I will have more to say about later, will help to end—actually will end—low pay for good in our great country.

John Lamont Portrait John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)
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The best way to improve living standards is to reduce tax burdens. Does the Chancellor share my concern that anyone in Scotland earning more than £27,000 is paying more than the equivalent English taxpayer, and that more than 1 million Scots are paying £500 million in extra taxation?

Sajid Javid Portrait Sajid Javid
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I believe the First Minister actually promised not to raise taxes, but in fact the SNP has raised taxes on more than 1 million Scots. Doctors, teachers and police are all paying more in Scotland than in any other part of the UK. Scotland is now the highest-taxed part of the UK, and the Scottish people will remember that at the next Scottish elections.