Hunt branded ‘Grinch’ as households spend extra on tax hikes than Christmas items

Jeremy Hunt has been branded “the Grinch who stole Christmas” – after figures revealed households will spend extra on stealth taxes than items this Christmas.

Households are anticipated to spend a median of £279 on Christmas presents this yr, in response to analysis by the web site MoneySuperMarket. But a typical household is prone to be hit with £800 value of tax hikes on account of Mr Hunt’s determination to freeze revenue tax thresholds.

A pair incomes £35,000 every pays an additional £806 in revenue tax and nationwide insurance coverage subsequent yr (2024-25), regardless of the Chancellor reducing the speed of nationwide insurance coverage. It comes after a YouGov ballot discovered greater than half of Britons will spend much less on Christmas this yr as a result of rising value of residing.

Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems ’ Treasury Spokesperson, stated: “ Jeremy Hunt ’s stealth taxes have made him the Grinch that stole Christmas. Families who are already feeling the pinch are being clobbered with unfair tax rises.”

Among these feeling the squeeze is Birmingham meals financial institution supervisor Kevin Warrington. The church pastor, 69, stated: “Why is the government allowing energy companies to charge charities and food banks VAT – it’s impacting everything we buy from fuel to rent, gas and electricity. I would like to ask Jeremy Hunt and MPs why they’re not talking to local constituents and asking them why they’re having to rely on food banks – it makes me very very frustrated.”

He added: “Our users are really struggling and we’re also seeing more and more pensioners. We’re getting new people coming in every week and we’re now having to supplement the cost. In the Birmingham area we’ve also got a lot of warm spaces and people are using them rather than trying to heat their homes.”

An extra ballot by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week discovered greater than 1 / 4 of individuals within the UK are apprehensive about affording their Christmas plans. More than 1 / 4 of individuals stated they had been utilizing, or deliberate to make use of, private financial savings to cowl the price of Christmas meals and items.

Ms Olney added: “If the Conservative Party hadn’t crashed the economy and brought in these stealth tax hikes, people would have more in their pocket to spend this Christrmas. It just shows this government is totally out of touch with families struggling to pay the bills.”