Sunday, November 16, 2014

Revealed: How Coalition Has Helped Rich by Hitting Poor

George Osborne's claim that 'we are all in this together' in
economic terms is damaged by the findings of a new report.
THE OBSERVER: Study shows gains for wealthier half of population, delivering a blow to George Osborne’s claims on fairness

A landmark study of the coalition’s tax and welfare policies six months before the general election reveals how money has been transferred from the poorest to the better off, apparently refuting the chancellor of the exchequer’s claims that the country has been “all in it together”.

According to independent research to be published on Monday and seen by the Observer, George Osborne has been engaged in a significant transfer of income from the least well-off half of the population to the more affluent in the past four years. Those with the lowest incomes have been hit hardest.

In an intervention that will come as a major blow to the government’s claim to have shared out the burden of austerity equally, the report by economists at the London School of Economics and the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex finds that: » | Daniel Boffey, policy editor | Saturday, November 15, 2014