Taxation Freedom Day Bill

Debate between Rachel Reeves and Philip Hollobone

Friday 25th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Reeves]

I am not sure whether to celebrate that, but this does seem to me to be a strange thing to want to have a piece of legislation on.

[Mr Hollobone]

An interesting comparator would be the interest that my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) has taken in human trafficking. Her Majesty’s Government have designated an anti-slavery day and given it official recognition. All the Bill asks the Government to do is officially to recognise taxation freedom day.

[Rachel Reeves]

That does not seem necessary to me, but I guess that the hon. Gentleman and I disagree. If the work of the TaxPayers Alliance and the Adam Smith Institute is as fantastic as he thinks, why could they not organise a celebration, as other groups organise days to celebrate things? One does not necessarily need legislation in order to celebrate a day that one thinks important.