New figures about food bank usage in the UK are truly shocking.
About 3% of families in the UK – at least 2.1 million people – used a food bank in the year to March 2022, according to official figures.
That rose to about one in nine (11%) for families receiving state income-related benefits.
Between 1 April 2022 and 30 September 2022, food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network distributed almost 1.3 million food parcels – a rise of 52% compared to the same period to September 2019.
Back in January the Trussell Trust has reported a deficit of £16.4m as it increased financial support to its network of food banks six-fold.
Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022 show that the charity’s income fell by more than £25m to £34.2m, while its expenditure rose to £50.6m.
Sunak
The news comes as Rishi Sunak snuck out his tax return yesterday.
Richard Murphy wrote: What do Sunak’s tax returns tell us? It is that a wealthy person with income beyond their immediate needs can always recategorise large parts of that income as capital gains to reduce their tax rate on that part to 20%, which is an insult to all who have to work for a living.”
He followed up with: “The days when capital gains are taxed at half (or less) of the rate on income from work should be long gone. This is tax injustice however you look at it.”
The tax statement confirms Sunak holds some of his financial interests in a blind management arrangement, as he has previously declared.
Sunak’s tax statement offers no detail of the fund’s contents, such as whether or not the prime minister holds an interest in the Covid 19 vaccine-maker Moderna,
So is Sunak out of touch? Watch this if you are on the fence.
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Fair point…
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