Plaid’s hypocritical tax pledges highlights lack of leadership
A Plaid Cymru pledge to reform council tax has been described as “gross hypocrisy” by the Welsh Conservatives today.
The pledge to deliver savings in council tax bills for Welsh householders comes just months after Leanne Wood led her party colleagues to vote against Welsh Conservative calls for a council tax freeze in a Senedd debate. [September 30th 2015] The party also opposed a similar motion in March 2014.
Shadow Local Government Minister, Janet Finch-Saunders, said the pledge was growing evidence of a challenge to the Plaid Leader’s authority.
She said:
“It’s quite a U-turn for Plaid to pledge to cut council tax bills when they have repeatedly voted against Welsh Conservative calls for a council tax freeze in Wales.
“Just six months ago in the Senedd, Plaid members opposed our motion and voted instead with a Labour Government; whose refusal to implement a freeze has – between 2011/12 and 2016/17 – left the average household £829 out of pocket.”
“However, it also highlights the internal struggle for the leadership of a party which has offered little more than a crutch to Labour’s minority government in recent years.
“The fact is, Plaid AM’s say one thing and do another. They’re pledging a council tax cut for Welsh families now but their voting record in the Assembly tells a different story altogether.
“Voters will see through this gross hypocrisy on May 5th and reject Labour’s little helpers."
Meanwhile, Plaid’s Adam Price appeared to contradict his party leader again in pledging not to use the new income tax powers to hike tax bills for Welsh workers.
It follows a statement by Leanne Wood on BBC Daily Politics late last year, when challenged on her plans for tax varying powers.
When challenged by Andrew Neil to rule out tax hikes she said that her “priority would be to maximise the amount of money in the budget to spend on public services.”
Commenting on the apparent contradiction, Welsh Conservative Leader – Andrew RT Davies – said:
“Just who speaks for Plaid Cymru on the economy? One minute they plan to hike income tax, now they have candidates telling the Leader that policy has changed.
“Conservatives in Government have already taken almost 160,000 people out of paying tax, and the Welsh Conservatives are now putting plans in place to make Wales the low tax capital of the UK.
“I want to be clear. We now have an opportunity to be radical with income tax and it’ll mean more money for each and every hardworking family in Wales."
