Starmer's Tax Pledges

SIR Keir Starmer would not rule out changes to council tax rates in his plans for a Labour government, as the Conservatives stepped up their demands yesterday for Labour to rule out tax rises.

The Labour leader said he would not “write the budgets for the next five years”, when asked about changes to council tax. His party has already ruled out taxes on socalled “working people”, including VAT, income tax, and National Insurance.

Labour plans to remove the VAT exemption for private schools to pay for an extra 6,500 state sector teachers, and to close tax loopholes for high-earning non-domiciled UK residents in order to provide more cash for other public services.

The Conservatives have sought to suggest Labour could raise some taxes, pointing to a lack of detail in their rivals’ manifesto on an exemption from inheritance tax for farmers and the need for councils to hold a referendum on an increase in local taxes.