During their stay in power the Conservatives raised taxes from 33.1% of GDP to 37.6% by increasing VAT, national insurance, cutting disability benefits and other taxes.

Between 1992 and 1997 the Conservatives made over 20 tax increases, despite claiming to be the party of low taxation.

The Conservative mismanagement of the economy created a £50 billion deficit in one year alone, yet rather than distributing the burden of meeting this debt fairly through income tax, the Conservatives were determined to make the:

• old,
• sick,
• and the vulnerable pay for their mistakes.

Labour makes promises everyone knows they cannot keep. This has become more evident since their attempt to mimic the Tories.

• Cut bureaucracy by putting national insurance and income tax together. This would make taxes more unfair and efficient, reduce the poverty trap and take many people out of the tax net altogether.
• Encourage personal savings by giving tax relief on income paid into "registered Savings Accounts".
• Increase investment in education, if necessary by an extra penny of income tax.
• Take 50,000 people of the lowest paid out of the tax net altogether.
• Make it easier for people on benefits to get back to work by allowing the long term unemployed to keep some benefits for a limited period when they begin a new job.
• Substantially increase pensions.
• An increase in Child Benefit by £1 for all children, not just the first.
• Child Benefit to be linked to the RPI.
• Restore full rights to income support to 16 to 25 year olds.
• Reform the Social Fund, including the removal of its cash limit.
• Replace the inefficient Income Support and Family Credit Benefits with a new Low Income Benefit. Bridging the systems of out-of-work and in-work benefits, this would help to release people from the poverty trap and increase incentives to find work.