Oral Answers to Questions

Julie Hilling Excerpts

Tuesday 11th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

I share the hon. Gentleman’s pride in the fact that the coalition Government have delivered that important measure, which is supporting 26 million working people in this country with an income tax cut worth about £700 a year. My pride is enhanced by being a member of the party that proposed it at the 2010 election.

[Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)]

T6. In 2011 the Chief Secretary said that anyone who wanted to cut the top rate of tax was living in cloud cuckoo land. Is it not clear that that is exactly where he and his friend, the out-of-touch Chancellor, now live?

[Danny Alexander]

In the Budget in which we reduced the 50p rate to 45p, we introduced measures that raised five times more from the wealthiest people, including, for example, the annual tax on enveloped dwellings, which is a mansion tax for tax dodgers in respect of people from overseas who own properties in this country. It raised five times more than we expected at the time.