Far from happy in spite of tax U-turn

MILLIONS of taxpayers are in for a windfall of £120 this year thanks to Chancellor Alistair Darling’s emergency budget last week, writes Teresa Hunter.

He is spending £2.7bn partly to fix the blunder over the 10p tax row, but largely to inject new money into the economy in the hope of heading off the worst excesses of recession.

It is hoped this infusion of cash will help hard-pressed families and ease recessionary pressures.

Yet of the five million who were losing up to £232 annually following the scrapping of the 10p tax band, a million will still be left out of pocket.

Among these is Lynette Livingstone, who is aged 60 and recently retired.

Lynette from Danderhall says: “I’m still very far from happy, and the whole business has been a fiasco.

“I was £11 per month worse off when the Government announced the 10p tax band was going. Yet the Chancellor’s latest announcement has still left me about £18 a year worse off.

“Yes it is better than it was, but what about all the other taxpayers who had already benefited from seeing their tax cut from 22p to 20p and will now enjoy yet another tax cut?”