The Times reported yesterday that No 10's chief of staff Steve Barclay had suggested the temporary reduction in the 20 per cent rate of tax in the hope of easing tax bills for millions and blunting the spiralling rate of inflation.
It comes after modelling from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the rate of inflation in the UK, at 9.1 per cent, had reached its highest point since at least February 1982.
But the plans - which would see VAT cut to 17.5 per cent - have reportedly stirred up controversy within the Treasury, due to fears it could overstimulate the economy and stoke the already raging rate of inflation.
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2022-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra July 01, 2022-utgaven av The Independent.
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'I feared I'd end up in the trench like the other bodies'
Reporting from the site of a mass grave around 25 miles from the Syrian capital, Bel Trew speaks to a man who dug out the trenches before realising the horror of what was happening
Christmas market atrocity will further divide the West
Does terrorism work? It depends what the aim of the perpetrator is and in the case of Friday night's Magdeburg Christmas market attack it's not as clear cut as it may have seemed in the immediate aftermath.
Germany mourns as death toll from market attack rises
Saudi doctor held after car ploughs into crowd at Christmas event, leaving five people dead and dezens more sala
'Good vibes': winter solstice is celebrated at Stonehenge.
Thousands gathered at Stonehenge yesterday as they greeted the sun with cheers and applause to mark the winter solstice.
Children born thanks to IVF pioneer find biological father is scientist at his lab
Questions have been raised about one of the UK's most wellknown fertility doctors after two people whose parents attended his clinic reportedly made the shock discovery that their biological father is a lab scientist who worked in the same hospital as the physician.
Lockerbie silence 36 years on is labelled 'pretty fishy'
The father of a Lockerbie bombing victim has urged Sir Keir Starmer to publish everything the UK knows about the tragedy.
‘My face was still bruised when they laid me off’
Women whose careers were destroyed by domestic abuse even after escaping partners say employers must do more
Flights and ferries cancelled during Christmas getaway
Flights and ferries were cancelled yesterday because of bad weather, disrupting the Chirstmas travel plans of thousands of people.
Streeting urged to review sale of abortion pills by post
The health secretary has been warned that a recent conviction over the use of abortion pills to poison a woman \"could be the tip of the iceberg\" unless safeguards are brought into place.
Aung San Suu Kyi's son in plea for her prison release
The son of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has pleaded for her release from prison amid fears for the 79-year-old's health in the country's \"terrible\" prisons.
