Cameron breaks ‘promise’ to publish tax returns
Senior Conservatives have abandoned their promise to publish Prime Minister David Cameron’s personal tax returns despite initially pledging to do so. Tax policy is among the party’s “key” election issues.
Two years ago, Conservative Party policy makers confirmed they were willing to publish their tax returns, but said elections were a “long way off.”
The Prime Minister and Chancellor George Osborne claimed they were willing to prove politicians are paying the right tax.
Cameron and other party figures have faced mounting pressure to reveal whether they benefited from a decision in the 2013 budget to reduce the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p.
When speaking at an event in Ipswich on Monday, Cameron, who earns £142,500 a year, said he is paid “handsomely” as Prime Minister.
George Osborne recently told the Sunday Times the party plans to promote a more “transparent government,” but releasing tax return information has been “complicated” by “confidentiality issues.”
He confirmed over the weekend there are “no plans” for the tax returns revelation to go ahead.
“You see it as a feature of some American campaigns but I think there would be quite a lot of practical difficulties. The income I receive is publicly declared,” he said.