WE CAN’T AFFORD ANOTHER TORY BUDGET!
Sheffield Trade Union Council has a simple message for Philip Hammond when he announces his Autumn Budget today:
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End Tory austerity now!
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Make the wealthy and big business pay their taxes!
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Invest in our country’s future and create jobs!
When Philip Hammond gives his Budget Day speech this afternoon, there will be fine words and a few crumbs to his supporters, but we have no reason to expect the major change of course this country needs.
8 years of Tory Government have seen this country BROKEN!
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Poverty wages
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Bankrupt Councils
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NHS in crisis
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Record homelessness
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Skint schools
There IS an alternative. Austerity is a political choice, not an economic necessity.
We CAN afford to
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Raise wages
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Fund our Councils
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Rescue our NHS
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Build new Council Homes
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Invest in our education
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Renew our crumbling infrastructure
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Reverse the cuts to Welfare Benefits
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Transfer to a green economy
“It is all a matter of political priorities” said Martin Mayer, Sheffield TUC Secretary. “Instead of a smaller state and rolling back our public services, we could rebuild Britain as a fairer and more equal society with good jobs, decent homes and a brighter future for working families”.
An Investment Bank
Other countries like Germany use a combination of public and private funding to invest in the nation’s infrastructure, creating good jobs and stimulating economic growth – and bringing in much need tax revenues.
A Council House building programme
Investing in council house building pays for itself in the medium to long term, yet it creates good jobs by getting construction firms working again and stimulating demand for furniture and fittings
Reversing Benefit Cuts – Raising wages
Cuts to the incomes off working class families has massively increased the gap between rich and poor, and sucked out billions of pounds of spending money from our poorest neighbourhoods, damaging our local economy and depressing demand for goods and services
Fund our public services and our Local Councils
Money spent on our public services secures employment and leads to better healthier lives. The economy depends on it! They redistribute income more fairly and help the private sector by spending money on goods and services
Tax the wealthy and big business
Tory austerity has been accompanied by massive cuts in taxes for the rich and powerful, meaning less and less money is available to pay for much needed public spending. Tax avoidance has reached epic proportions – the PCS union estimates £100B is avoided, evaded or simply uncollected each year from the big business and wealthy individuals. That’s more than enough to make austerity irrelevant – if there was a political will to do so!
Ends
Martin Mayer, Sheffield TUC Secretary 0776 1078482