If Zack Polanski wants to raise taxes, he should start by paying his own
Spending other people’s money is always easy, particularly when those advocating it are insulated from the consequences themselves, writes Jonathan Eida
Once again, politicians who claim the moral high ground on taxation have faced uncomfortable questions about their own tax affairs.
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Most recently, Zack Polanski joined a growing list of politicians from all parties, including Angela Rayner and Nadhim Zahawi, whose own tax arrangements have come under scrutiny. Many voters increasingly believe there is one set of rules for ordinary taxpayers and another for political elites.
Households are already under immense financial pressure, which only exacerbates the unfairness felt by taxpayers. According to the OBR, the UK tax burden is forecast to rise from 36.3 per cent of GDP in 2025-26 to a post-war high of 38.5 per cent by 2030-31. Families are already grappling with stubbornly high living costs, while instability in the Middle East and the ongoing Iran conflict threaten to push up energy and food prices even further.
One of the biggest and most burdensome taxes people face is council tax. With (higher) bills having just landed on doormats in April, spare a thought for the families who now face making savings in household budgets elsewhere to cover these costs. All too often, in the political rigmarole of local elections and councils changing hands, we pay too little attention to the ratepayers who shoulder the burden.
Despite this, many local and national politicians continue to argue for ever-higher taxes and greater levels of public spending. For voters already feeling squeezed, calls for additional taxes increasingly add insult to injury, especially when those making them are perceived to have unresolved questions surrounding their own tax affairs.
But there is another side to this debate: spending. Politicians such as Polanski appear more than happy to promise vast new spending commitments funded by ever-higher taxation, borrowing or both. There is never any discussion of restraint.
Spending other people’s money is always easy, particularly when those advocating it are insulated from the consequences themselves.
Politicians promising the world while dismissing concerns about taxation, debt and spending risk further undermining public trust. The public expects consistency and accountability. Politicians demanding ever more from taxpayers cannot expect to avoid scrutiny of their own financial conduct.
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Jonathan Eida is public affairs manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance.
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