Oxfam reaction to the Autumn Budget

Reacting to the Autumn Budget, Steve Brooks, Oxfam’s Head of Influencing said:

“This Budget contains welcome steps forward for tackling inequality and poverty, but the government fell short of delivering truly transformative change. The introduction of a private jet tax recognises that richest polluters must pay more, but much more could and should have been done to tax extreme wealth. The very richest are still not shouldering their fair share.

“A small one to two per cent wealth tax on assets over £10 million could contribute up to £22 billion to the UK Treasury annually. This is not draconian, many millionaires in this country already support higher taxation to help pay for investment in vital public services and social security.

“The last government recognised the dire state of the diminished aid budget and rightly topped it up. Removing this funding is both cruel and unnecessary, and once again attempts to balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable people worldwide who face catastrophic climate impacts and entrenched poverty.

“The long-overdue increase in earnings limit for carers will give tens of thousands of people across the country a vital boost, but more urgent, bold, long-term action is needed to strengthen the systems and services that support us all.”

Ends