Articles and Speeches

Lower Fairer Taxes
23-Sep-05, Windsor Express Column.

"When asked “would we be willing to pay more tax for better public services?” the answer is generally yes. This is because it is tantamount to saying we are good people who want to help others.

But perhaps the truth is exactly the opposite.

We know that when Governments and local councils spend money, they are generally wasteful. The more they take, the more they seem to waste – consider the dome, the tax credits fiasco and the £10m on the Maidenhead town hall!

This is because the nature of Government agencies is incompatible with efficient expenditure in my view.

If you spend your hard earned cash on yourself, you’ll be naturally careful to get the best value for money. But when spending somebody else’s money on somebody else, the incentive to be careful is less innate.

This is the problem with Government spending. It is impersonal and less likely to be efficient.

The 14% council tax hike over the last 2 years and the 300% increase in parking charges locally are hurting elderly residents on fixed incomes and least well off the most of all.

In my view, if we care about people, we will ensure they efficiently spend more of their own money for themselves and their families.

I will continue the fight for lower fairer taxes, especially for the less well off."

Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor