Letter - Wealth Tax

This week’s Guardian has a story about Griff Rhys Jones objecting to Labour’s planned mansion tax.

I have written the following letter to the paper in response:

Andy Wightman (“Griff Rhys Jones should be grateful”, 5th November) is surely right to challenge the attitude of Rhys Jones to paying tax. He is wrong to follow the Labour and Liberal Democrat lead in confusing the issue with local taxation.

Since the wealthiest people keep only about 10% of their total wealth in residential property a mansion tax simply misses the target. The wealth tax proposed by the Green Party would cost him £140,000 if charged at 2% and couldn’t be avoided by simply selling the mansion or leaving the country.

This is a national policy to address a national problem of inequality and unfairness since poor people currently pay a higher proportion of their income in tax. No doubt local taxation needs to be reformed, but a realistic reform of that will be based on the ability to pay.