DAILY MAIL COMMENT: True Tories should end such taxing times

Take a quick look at the enormous tax burden that Britain is currently facing, and you may find yourself wanting to rub your eyes in disbelief. Your next reaction might be to recoil in horror.

The Government’s tax revenue as a percentage of GDP has significantly increased from 33% in 2019 to an astonishing 37%, as reported by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

It is equivalent to hitting every household with another bill for £3,500. This Parliament is set to hold the ignominious distinction of overseeing the steepest tax rise in history.

This alarming state of affairs might be understandable if Labour, which has never seen a tax hike it disliked, was in power.

It is particularly disheartening that this has occurred during a Conservative government.

When can we anticipate the Prime Minister demonstrating his allegiance to tax cuts and Thatcherism?

Successive prime ministers, including Rishi Sunak, have stated their belief in a small state and low taxes. Yet their appetite for delivering them has been roughly zero.

Yes, the Government is heavily indebted, which is why the Prime Minister and his Chancellor are attempting to achieve financial stability.

However, due to the freezing of tax thresholds for an extended period, the implementation of hidden charges and burdensome new taxes on businesses, properties, capital gains, and various other aspects, the amount collected has reached a level that is deemed unacceptable and unsustainable.

Even people with low incomes are facing increasing difficulties. Similarly, businesses are also facing a grim future due to a significant increase in corporate taxes.

If our public services were top class, the Treasury’s relentless plundering might be palatable. But they’re shambolic. Which of us can look around and truly say they are getting value for money? The NHS, handed record funding, is collapsing. Police often don’t bother to investigate crime. Social care provision can be woeful.

The answer to these problems is reform, not throwing ever greater sums at them. Dispiritingly, that seems to now be the Tories’ default setting. It’s not unrelated that as taxes nudge a post-war high, economic growth is so feeble. Mr Sunak should be bold and take an axe to them.

Reducing taxes would not just alleviate the burden on households but also encourage ambition, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit, ultimately leading to increased job opportunities.

When can we anticipate the Prime Minister demonstrating his commitment to tax cuts, as he claims to be a Thatcherite at his core?

BBC’s botch of the day

The BBC’s evaluation of its guidelines for social media was prompted by Gary Lineker’s offensive post comparing government policy to Nazism. This presented an opportunity for the corporation to restore the trust it had lost in terms of impartiality. However, as expected, it has failed to do so.

Instead of completely prohibiting presenters from expressing political opinions, the policy allows individuals outside the news department to freely express themselves, as long as they refrain from endorsing or criticizing a specific political party.

For those on so-called ‘non-flagship’ programmes, including eco-hysteric Chris Packham, even this footling restriction doesn’t apply. What a complete cop-out.

If Gary Lineker and others wish to express their opinions on current matters, why don’t they refrain from accepting funds from license fee-payers and instead run for political office?

The BBC is showing disregard for viewers who anticipate presenters to be impartial rather than politically outspoken.

If Lineker et al wish to express their opinions on current matters, why don’t they refrain from accepting funds from license fee-payers and instead run for office?

Khan’s crime cop-out

The Mail questions Sadiq Khan’s actions following the tragic murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam on her way to school.

As London’s Labour mayor, one of his key responsibilities is working with the police to tackle crime. Yet 16 teenagers have been killed in the capital already this year.

While he engages in stunts about decriminalising cannabis, virtue-signals with green schemes and bellyaches about statues from the distant past, a bloodbath is happening on his watch. His priorities are warped. London deserves better.