I'm not disputing the fact that taxes will rise after the election, regardless of who is in power. For the record, every fiscal statement since November 2001 (bar November 2017, when it was seen as flat) has forecast a rising tax burden. My comment related to the tax rises planned by Labour in addition to those outlined in the March Budget, something which clearly went over your head.
The tax rises Labour are currently admitting to - essentially a rounding error in the context of fiscal projections - are obviously insufficient to fund the targeted improvement in public sector services, and that's before the fiscal black hole around unprotected departmental budgets you refer to is considered. And although the issue around
unprotected departmental budgets will remain regardless of which party forms the next government, it is undoubtedly a bigger issue for Labour than it is for the Conservatives, given that only Labour have committed to avoiding cuts here.
So, given that Labour have committed to avoiding falling departmental spending as per Starmer's comments last night - which will require around an extra c.£30bn in current expenditure by 2028-29 - and that Starmer is only willing to acknowledge small tax increases in private school VAT, and slightly different non-dom and windfall schemes, do you think Labour's tax figures add up? I think even somebody with their head up their arse can see that they don't.
