Agenda item

That this Council:

(a)       notes the recent report by the London School of Economics “Were we really all in it together? The distributional effects of the UK Coalition Government’s tax-benefit policy changes”;

(b)       notes that the analysis from the report shows:

(i)         the outcome for those in the bottom half of incomes is in contrast to those in the top half of incomes, who gained from direct tax cuts, with the exception of most of the top 5 per cent – although within this 5 percent group, those at the very top gained, because of the cut in the top rate of income tax;

(ii)        in total, the changes have not contributed to cutting the deficit; rather, the savings from reducing benefits and tax credits have been spent on raising the tax-free income tax allowance and lowering the top rate of income tax allowance giving tax cuts to millionaires; and

(iii)       the analysis challenges the idea that those with incomes in the top tenth have lost as great a share of their incomes as those with the lowest incomes;

(c)        believes that this report conclusively proves that we are not all in it together and the Government have made these cuts not to reduce the deficit but to redistribute money from the poorest to the wealthiest in society; and

(d)       is extremely concerned about the impact that these policies are having in Sheffield and is concerned that child poverty is rising as a result and inequalities are increasing.