2+2=5 : Boris Johnson’s people have hit back today at claims his pledge to raise the 40% high earner tax rate to £80K+ is tantamount to a bribe to other MPs.
“That’s just coincidence,” a source claiming to work for Bojo told LCD Views, “we are trying to bribe the Tory party membership so they vote for Boris to be the next party leader. Average age 72, many of them on pensions of £80K a year? What would you do?”
The tax cut will apparently be paid for by increasing national insurance contributions and out of the funds set aside to prepare for a No Deal Brexit.
“Increasing NI is the fair way to give wealthier people a tax break,” the source says, “because that way the poor help pay for it disproportionately. That’s Tory fairness right there. And we don’t need a contingency fund for Brexit because Boris won’t be paying Brussels the £39bn required not to turn us into an international pariah. They can go whistle. What would you do?”
How successful Boris’s offer will be remains to be seen, because even if it helps him become Tory Party leader he’ll still need to get it through the House of Commons.
“We’ll worry about that when we come to it,” the source says, “clearly it may need to be raised to £90K or even over £100K, when you take into consideration future MP payrises? Still, it should help Boris command the confidence of the house. Who does want a tax break? What would you do?”
The pledge has been nicknamed the ‘Reverse Robin Hood’, which is exactly the kind of prime minister Boris Johnson promises to be.