On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 18:24:55 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:10:52 +0000 (GMT) Dave Plowman (News) wrote :
The so called stealth taxes etc are there because the great
unwashed don't want honest direct taxation.

In the Express last week there was a phone 'poll' (premium rate number
of course) asking you to phone in if you thought inheritance tax
should be scrapped. No doubt they made a bit of money that way. If
they were honest enough to ask the question that should have been
asked such as "would you be in favour of scrapping inheritance tax and
doubling car tax|putting 2p on income tax|scrapping pensioner winter
fuel allowances [or whatever]" then the answer might be very
different. And of course saying that you would pay for it by scrapping
waste is all very well but that should generate the question "if we
can save £x bn then would you prefer (a) scrap inheritance tax;
(b)...; (c) ...".

If you read the Mail or the Express then you see this dumbing down of
political argument week on week. Yet ISTM that this probably acts to
the detriment of the Conservatives in that people who have had their
brains rotted are likely to vote for whoever spins the best yarn on
the day whether it stands up to critical scrutiny or not.



That's always true.

I'd go back to a more basic point though. Does so much tax revenue
need to be raised in the first place?


--

..andy