Articles and Speeches

Low Taxation is Caring
14-Sep-04, Windsor Observer.

"When asked “would we 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!

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

Spend your hard earned cash on yourself, and 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 8.9% council tax hike and 300% increase in parking charges hurt the elderly on fixed incomes and less well off the most.

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

So I am determined to continue the fight for lower taxes, especially for the less well off.

As the last column in the series, thank you for reading and responding and I hope to see you on the doorstep soon."