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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Gordon Brown calls for gambling tax to cut child poverty
Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has repeated his call for higher taxes on gambling to lift half a million children out of has backed a think tank report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), saying the move could raise £3.2bn to fund scrapping the two-child limit and benefit who was also chancellor under Tony Blair, said taxing online casinos and slot machines would be "the first crucial step in the war we must wage against child poverty".A spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council rejected the proposals, describing them as "economically reckless" and claiming they could push gamblers onto the black market. The Department for Media, Culture and Sport has been contacted for comment. The two-child limit and benefit cap affects 1.6 million children and is blamed for rising rates of food insecurity by anti-poverty campaigners, who say getting rid of the cap is the "single most effective" step the chancellor could take to reduce child two-child limit restricts child tax credit and universal credit (UC) to the first two children in most households, while the benefit cap sees the amount of benefits a household receives reduced to ensure claimants do not get more than the government is expected to publish a child poverty strategy in autumn, and children's charities and campaign groups have been united in calling for the two-child limit to be in the Guardian, Brown states: "Britain is now enduring the worst levels of child poverty since modern records began, even worse than in the Thatcher-Major years, and far worse than in most European countries..."These are austerity's children, the victims of 14 years of Tory rule, an era whose most vindictive act was to treat newborn third and fourth children as second-class citizens, depriving them of all the income support available to their first and second siblings."Flagging that child poverty is set to rise to "a wholly unacceptable" 4.8 million, Brown urges Chancellor Rachel Reeves to make "a straightforward budget choice" to raise taxes on online gambling companies to fund tackling child proposals focus on online gambling firms - the fast-growing part of the industry - and avoid any changes to bingo or lotteries. The IPPR suggested increasing taxes on online casinos from 21% to 50% and raising those on slots and gaming machines from 20% to 50%.Many online gambling firms are based offshore and pay little or no UK corporation tax, the IPPR report flags, and already benefits from unique tax advantages, including a complete exemption from VAT. The IPPR said raising gambling taxes in the way they suggested would be unlikely to reduce overall government Parkes, principal economist and head of quantitative research at IPPR, said: "The gambling industry is highly profitable, yet is exempt from paying VAT and often pays no corporation tax, with many online firms based offshore. "It is also inescapable that gambling causes serious harm, especially in its most high-stakes forms."Set against a context of stark and rising levels of child poverty, it only feels fair to ask this industry to contribute a little more."But a spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council said they rejected the "economically reckless, factually misleading" proposals which they insisted "risk driving huge numbers to the growing, unsafe, unregulated gambling black market, which doesn't protect consumers and contributes zero tax".They added: "Further tax rises, fresh off the back of government reforms which cost the sector over a billion in lost revenue, would do more harm than good - for punters, jobs, growth and public finances." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Asylum seekers who work illegally should be on ‘next plane home'
Asylum seekers who work without permission should be 'on the next plane home', Kemi Badenoch has said. The Conservative Party leader and shadow home secretary Chris Philp have proposed a crackdown on illegal working amid fears a 'soft touch' is driving English Channel crossings. Migrants whose asylum claims are yet to be processed are not generally allowed to work but they can apply for permission to work if they have been waiting a year or longer for a decision. The Home Office last month struck an agreement with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats to equip these companies with tools to identify patterns of misuse and riders who are not allowed to work in the UK. The Government will share the locations of asylum hotels as part of the deal. But the Conservatives have called for illegal working to become a disqualifier in the asylum process, so that anyone caught is barred from becoming a refugee. 'If you come here illegally, take advantage of our asylum system, and then break our laws by illegally working, your asylum claim must be rejected and you should be on the next plane home,' Mrs Badenoch said. 'Under my leadership, the Conservatives will never allow Britain to become a soft touch for those who think they can break the rules and profit from it.' She also said that illegal working 'rewards illegality, protects perpetrators and mocks hard-working taxpayers.' Mr Philp said he had seen riders gathering at a hotel housing asylum seekers, which he described as 'an underground courier cartel operating right under this Government's nose'. He continued: 'Illegal working is a pull factor sold by smugglers as a reward to break in to our country and cross the Channel. 'That is why we are calling for new action: anyone who plays the system should have their status stripped, wages confiscated, and be deported.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously said that 'illegal working undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime'. She described the Home Office's data-sharing deal as 'decisive action to close loopholes and increase enforcement', and added it sat alongside 'a 50% increase in raids and arrests for illegal working'.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Keir Starmer paves way for tax hikes this autumn putting damper on interest rate cut
SIR Keir Starmer has paved the way for tax hikes this autumn — putting a damper on today's expected interest rate cut. The Prime Minister failed to explicitly rule out increases to income tax or National Insurance in the Budget to plug a multi-billion-pound black hole. His refusal to reaffirm manifesto commitments comes as experts warn an eye-watering £50billion is needed just to maintain Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' £9.9billion financial buffer. Speaking on a visit to Milton Keynes, Sir Keir said: 'In the autumn, we'll get the full forecast and obviously set out our Budget. 'The focus will be on living standards, so that we will build on what we've done in the first year of this government. 'We've stabilised the economy. "That means interest rates have been cut now four times. "For anybody on a mortgage, that makes a huge difference on a monthly basis to how much they pay.' No10 tried to play down the comments, saying the Government remains committed to its manifesto by not raising taxes on working people. But the National Institute of Economic and Social Research has said the Chancellor is likely to be forced into raising taxes and cutting spending just to meet the massive shortfall. Despite the economic gloom, homeowners are set to receive a boost from the Bank of England today. Experts predict bank chiefs will cut i nterest rates by 0.25 per cent, even though inflation is stubbornly high and growth weak. Raising taxes will kill off growth, Reeves warned as she pledges to rip up business red tape 1 TOWN HALL CASH ALERT ONE in four English town halls will lose money under Labour's shake-up to council funding, experts warn. Areas like inner London face risking cash to go to services, while the East Midlands and Yorkshire are set for the biggest cash windfalls. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, said changes will 'sting' for councils set to lose out. Labour's changes, still being consulted on, are due to come into effect next year.
