Four former Cabinet ministers are among 25 Conservative MPs calling for reform of the tax system to make it “fairer for families”.
In a letter to chancellor Jeremy Hunt ahead of the budget, MPs asked for a commission on family taxation to be set up with the aim of reducing the tax burden on families and making the overall system fairer.
Sent by Catholic Union president Sir Edward Leigh, it is also signed by 24 other Conservative MPs, including former Home Secretary Priti Patel and the chairman of the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, the founders of the New Social Covenant Unit, have also backed the call for a commission.
The letter comes as Jeremy Hunt prepares for his first budget as chancellor on 15 March and with recent news from the ONS that the Exchequer received a surplus of £5.4 billion in January this year.
With a general election expected next year, the MPs have called for easing the tax burden on families to be a priority for the rest of this Parliament.
They point out that “research shows that the UK tax system penalises families much more heavily than those of other countries”.
Sir Edward added: “The best way of supporting people with the cost of living is surely to help households keep more of the money they earn. We need to look at the whole way we structure the tax system in this country.
“It cannot be right that a household with two earners currently pays less proportionately in tax than a household with one earner.”
The Catholic Union has consistently made the case for reform of the tax system, which is unfair to households where one parent works part time in order to take on caring responsibilities.
It is hoped that a new commission would allow options for reform of the current system to be properly explored.
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