" The Chancellor has been forced to defend his multi-billion pound raid on businesses in the Autumn Statement after MPs accused him of taking a “Gordon Brown approach” to fiscal policy.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, Conservative MP for North East Somerset, said George Osborne was taking a “high tax and stealth tax approach” towards policymaking that was inconsistent with the Government’s pledge to create a “lower tax society”.
Mr Osborne claimed the two biggest tax-raising policies - an apprenticeship levy that is expected to raise £11.6bn over the next five years and £6.2bn in extra revenues expected from handing powers to local authorities to raise council tax - were not “normal” taxes because companies were able to claim some of the money back and local authorities can choose whether to raise taxes or not.
Mr Rees-Mogg compared Mr Osborne to Mr Brown, the former Labour chancellor and prime minister, who earned a reputation for concealing stealth taxes in his budget. "
Source: Chancellor hits back at claims of 'Gordon Brown' style tax raid in Autumn Statement - Telegraph
Oh, so those ain't normal taxes, that's all-right then.
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