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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2015/apr/12/the-conservatives-pledge-to-cut-inheritance-tax-on-family-homes
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| Conservatives pledge to cut inheritance tax for family homes - live | Conservatives pledge to cut inheritance tax for family homes - live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 9.47am BST09:47 | |
| Harriet Harman has just been on the Marr show, speaking about her party’s plan to raise £7.6bn by cracking down on tax evasion and avoidance. | |
| She was quizzed about possible coalition deals. She said that Ed Miliband had made it clear that there would be no SNP ministers in a future Labour government. | |
| “Scotland needs to be liberated from the austerity that is being imposed by a Tory-led government and a Tory prime minister,” she said. “And that is going to be the big choice that faces people, not only in England and Wales, but also in Scotland.” | |
| Marr asked her whether Labour was speaking to the Liberal Democrats about possible future coalitions. “Absolutely not,” she responded. “We’ve spent the last five years opposing the bedroom tax, while the Liberal Democrats have been going through the division lobbies voting for it,” she said, adding that Labour was determined to win seats from the Lib Dems. | |
| “We are not talking to the Lib Dems, we are not doing any deals with the Lib Dems.” | |
| Updated at 9.49am BST | |
| 9.33am BST09:33 | |
| Natalie Bennett has just been on the Marr show. The Green Party has today announced plans to raise the top (additional) rate of income tax to 60%. The top rate of tax, which was lowered to 45% by the coalition, only affects the top 1% of earners. | |
| Bennett was asked whether she thinks the deficit is actually a problem. | |
| “What we think is that there has been an undue focus on the deficit and less of the consideration of the kind of society we need to have,” she said. | |
| She said that the party’s manifesto, which they will release next week, will include plans to reduce the deficit over the course of the parliament. | |
| Marr said that the we are spending £30bn in debt interest payments. Bennett responded that HMRC’s conservative figures suggest that tax avoidance is costing £34bn, and that the party’s wealth tax plans could raise £25bn. She said the 60p tax rate announced today would raise about £2bn, which she admitted wasn’t much, but said it was about recognising that “some people are taking too much out of our society, they need to pay back.” | |
| It’s the day after the Grand National and Bennett was pressed on the Green party’s opposition to horse racing on grounds of animal cruelty. She said the party wanted a review of all course and greyhound racing and a “whole range of broader issues of animal protection”. “There are clearly animal protection issues there that need to be addressed,” she added. | |
| 9.16am BST09:16 | 9.16am BST09:16 |
| Here is a little more detail on that Labour announcement. A briefing note from the party says that Ed Balls will give the Treasury and HMRC warning that on the first day of a Labour government there must be: | Here is a little more detail on that Labour announcement. A briefing note from the party says that Ed Balls will give the Treasury and HMRC warning that on the first day of a Labour government there must be: |
| He will also ask the Bank of England to focus on risks from the informal economy, including avoidance, evasion and the tax gap, in delivering its financial stability objective. | He will also ask the Bank of England to focus on risks from the informal economy, including avoidance, evasion and the tax gap, in delivering its financial stability objective. |
| David Gauke, financial secretary to the Treasury, has responded to Labour’s announcement. | David Gauke, financial secretary to the Treasury, has responded to Labour’s announcement. |
| Ed Miliband and Ed Balls turned a blind eye to aggressive tax avoiding and evading for 13 years when they were in charge - they were the tax avoiders’ friends. | Ed Miliband and Ed Balls turned a blind eye to aggressive tax avoiding and evading for 13 years when they were in charge - they were the tax avoiders’ friends. |
| We have taken action as part of our balanced plan to reduce the deficit - clawing back £7 billion per year in lost revenue by forcing the wealthy to pay stamp duty on property, making sure bankers pay higher tax rates than their cleaners and ensuring big global companies pay their fair share of tax. And we will go further and claw back another £5 billion in the next Parliament. | We have taken action as part of our balanced plan to reduce the deficit - clawing back £7 billion per year in lost revenue by forcing the wealthy to pay stamp duty on property, making sure bankers pay higher tax rates than their cleaners and ensuring big global companies pay their fair share of tax. And we will go further and claw back another £5 billion in the next Parliament. |
| Ed Miliband has no economic plan to secure Britain’s future - and it’s hardworking taxpayers who will pay the price. | Ed Miliband has no economic plan to secure Britain’s future - and it’s hardworking taxpayers who will pay the price. |
| We’ll hear more from Gauke later on when he appears on the Sunday Politics after 11am. | We’ll hear more from Gauke later on when he appears on the Sunday Politics after 11am. |
| 9.09am BST09:09 | 9.09am BST09:09 |
| Morning briefing | Morning briefing |
| Good morning and welcome to the Sunday edition of the Guardian’s live election campaign blog. | Good morning and welcome to the Sunday edition of the Guardian’s live election campaign blog. |
| We will be live blogging everyday in the run up to the general election on 7 May, bringing you the latest political news and views. | We will be live blogging everyday in the run up to the general election on 7 May, bringing you the latest political news and views. |
| I’m Frances Perraudin and you can email me on frances.perraudin@theguardian.com, tweet at me on @fperraudin and leave comments below. Hints and tips are welcome! | I’m Frances Perraudin and you can email me on frances.perraudin@theguardian.com, tweet at me on @fperraudin and leave comments below. Hints and tips are welcome! |
| The big picture | The big picture |
| Today the two main political parties seem to be reverting to type. The Conservative party has announced plans to take family homes out of inheritance tax by introducing a new allowance effectively increasing the threshold to £1m, while Labour has announced it will push emergency laws on tax avoidance through parliament designed to raise more than £7.5bn a year. | Today the two main political parties seem to be reverting to type. The Conservative party has announced plans to take family homes out of inheritance tax by introducing a new allowance effectively increasing the threshold to £1m, while Labour has announced it will push emergency laws on tax avoidance through parliament designed to raise more than £7.5bn a year. |
| You can read the Guardian’s report on the Tory announcement here, and on the Labour announcement here. | You can read the Guardian’s report on the Tory announcement here, and on the Labour announcement here. |
| Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and David Laws, the chair of the party’s manifesto group, will set out the party’s plans to tackle the deficit at a press conference around 10.30. He is expected to promise that there is a “light at the end of the tunnel” and say the party’s plan has “a heart as well as a brain”. | Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and David Laws, the chair of the party’s manifesto group, will set out the party’s plans to tackle the deficit at a press conference around 10.30. He is expected to promise that there is a “light at the end of the tunnel” and say the party’s plan has “a heart as well as a brain”. |
| Clegg will spell out plans for a consolidation totalling £27bn by 2017-2018, made up of £12bn in additional tax, £12bn in public spending reductions and £3bn in welfare cuts. | Clegg will spell out plans for a consolidation totalling £27bn by 2017-2018, made up of £12bn in additional tax, £12bn in public spending reductions and £3bn in welfare cuts. |
| You can read the full story here. | You can read the full story here. |
| What’s on today | What’s on today |
| George Osborne and Harriet Harman are among the guests on the Andrew Marr show at 9am. The Liberal Democrats will announce their deficit reduction plans around 10.30. Danny Alexander and David Gauke will be on the Sunday Politics from 11am. Pienaar’s Politics will running for an extended two hours from 10am on 5live. | George Osborne and Harriet Harman are among the guests on the Andrew Marr show at 9am. The Liberal Democrats will announce their deficit reduction plans around 10.30. Danny Alexander and David Gauke will be on the Sunday Politics from 11am. Pienaar’s Politics will running for an extended two hours from 10am on 5live. |
| I’ll post a list of some of the best of today’s political comment shortly. | I’ll post a list of some of the best of today’s political comment shortly. |
| Updated at 9.14am BST | Updated at 9.14am BST |