Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg criticised Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement and charged that he chose to raise taxes as the “easy option.”
Mr. Rees-Mogg asserted that governments should attempt to reduce spending through efficiency gains in public services amid reservations from certain Conservative MPs regarding the choice to hike taxes as the nation enters a recession.
“Taxation has got too high and there are issues with the level of expenditure that we have got,” he told Channel 4 News.
“I think there is a real problem with fiscal drag bringing more and more people into the 40p (tax) band who, particularly if they are living in the South of England, are not necessarily particularly well-off.
“That is going to be hard for them paying an extra level of tax on top of what they are already paying.
“Also freezing the basic band is going to be a burden for all taxpayers, even those who are still in receipt of benefit.
“I think we need to look at the efficiency of government to make sure money is well spent before reaching for the easy option of putting up taxes.
“What we actually need to be doing is having a strategy for growth and looking to lower taxes.”
You can watch the interview in full below:
