Early Day Motion (EDM) 714 is gathering support amongst members of parliament across the entire political spectrum and I am pleased to report that today my local MP has signed too. A total of 159 members of parliament have now signed this motion; Conservative: 85, Labour 19, Liberal Democrats: 49, Plaid Cymru: 1, SNP: 4 and SD&LP: 1.
As promised in my letter to Gerald Howarth MP, here is his response in full:
From: HOWARTH, Gerald [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 27 February 2008 10:56
To: Mike Wilson
Cc: READY, Caroline
Subject: RE: Early Day Motion 714, “Income Shifting”Dear Mr Wilson
Thanks for your email on this important matter. I have not yet signed the EDM but plan to do so today as I have researched the issue after it was recently raised with me by another constituent.
We are determined to make it easier to do business in the UK and to ensure that local and central government recognises that small businesses are the engine room of our economy. Government should encourage more people to aspire to be their own bosses and should support them in that aspiration.
David Cameron has said many times that a Conservative Government would recognise marriage in the tax system as families matter more than anything else within our society. By way of contrast, Labour’s income shifting proposals will place a penalty on the recognition of marriage in the tax system. On that basis alone, I am happy to sign EDM 714.
The proposals are entirely consistent with Gordon Brown’s hostility to small businesses, coming as it does on top of the 80% increase in capital gains tax which a number of businessmen have told me has been the last straw for them. His stewardship of the economy, for so long commended by commentators, has now been exposed for what it is – a reckless disregard for prudence. We have consistently warned that since he departed from the original Tory spending plans he was putting economic prosperity at risk, but that did not suit the commentators’ books at the time.
Thanks for making your views known to me and I urge your fellow businessmen to protest to their own MP. Those who are my constituents can also write to me as the more letters / emails I receive on the subject the better placed I am to protest to the Government.
Best wishes
Gerald Howarth MP
Member of Parliament for Aldershot & Shadow Defence Minister
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 5650 Fax: 020 7219 1198
