During Treasury Questions in Parliament yesterday Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase questioned the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on what steps he is taking to help people keep more of the money they earn – and how people in Cannock Chase will benefit from changes to the income tax personal allowance.
In response to her question, Amanda received assurances from Damian Hinds MP that the Conservative Government are committed to delivering the Conservative manifesto pledge to raise the personal allowance – the amount every basic rate tax payer can earn before they have to pay income tax – to £12,500 by the end of the Parliament. He went further, explaining that the Conservative Government will work towards ensuring that in the future, people who work 30 hours a week on the minimum wage will be taken out of income tax altogether. He went on to point out that the changes to both the personal allowance and the higher rate threshold that are planned for this Parliament will benefit 30 million people in total; and the average basic rate taxpayer is already £825 a year better off thanks to personal allowance increases over the last 5 years.
Commenting, Amanda said “I’m glad I had the chance to raise this issue with the Minister so early on in this Parliament. My constituents work hard, many for long hours and in difficult jobs. They deserve to keep more of the money they earn. I’m pleased that we are making progress on this issue by further increasing the personal allowance, and that 2.28 million taxpayers in the West Midlands have already benefited from the personal allowance increases to date. I believe it is morally right that those working for the minimum wage should be taken out of income tax completely. I will continue to press for this at every opportunity.”