Gordon Brown’s In The Red On Tax Credits
HE may be about to finally get his wish and move into No. 10, but Gordon Brown is again facing widespread criticism, this time over his tax credits scheme.
According to reports, the Treasury is set to write off a ridiculous £2billion as uncollectable from the tax credits scheme, a figure four times higher than the Government disclosed a year ago – £5.8 billion has also been erroneously paid out to people who shouldn’t have received the money.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the system has also been dogged by widespread fraud with 42 Inland Revenue officials either facing criminal investigations or criminal charges.
Indeed, according to the Public Accounts select committee, the tax credits scheme has suffered the highest levels of fraud and error in the whole of the government.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne has, not surprisingly, been quick to stick his oar in. Says he: “Tax credits are in Gordon Brown’s empire and he cannot blame anyone else for the appalling levels of error and fraud. This is incompetence on an industrial scale and it is the low-paid in our society who are paying the highest price. The chancellor leaves the Treasury trying to hide the cost of his mistakes while his reputation for economic competence continues to unravel.”
Things can’t only get better.
Picture: Hack
Posted: 9th, May 2007 | In: Money Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
