On the eve of Labour Party chancellor Rachel Reeves’ controversial Spring Statement, protesters will rally outside the Treasury to demand the government raises taxes on the wealth of the super-rich instead of slashing public spending.
Protests on the eve before Reeves’ Spring Statement
The government sparked fury ahead of the budget, by announcing deep cuts in chronically ill and disabled people’s benefits, and international aid spending. What’s more, it is doing so all while boosting investment in the military.
So on Tuesday 25 March between 5pm and 7pm, hundreds of protesters will gather with banners and placards outside the Treasury. A light projection will beam “Tax the Super-Rich” onto the building behind them.
War on Want, Oxfam, Greenpeace, and others have organised the demonstration to take the Labour Party government to task over its warmongering austerity-fueled agenda.
Author and economist Gary Stevenson, Green Party Co-Leader Carla Denyer, Labour Peer Prem Sikka, and Ecotricity Founder Dale Vince will address the crowd. Alongside them the leaders of union, environmental groups, and anti-poverty organisations will deliver powerful speeches against the disgraceful slate of public spending cuts.
‘Cut after cut to the poorest and most marginalised’
Ahead of the protest, campaigners from various groups involved have underscored the devastating impacts of the budget Reeves is set to lay out to Parliament.
Tax Justice UK’s head of advocacy Caitlin Boswell said:
Across the country, inequality is soaring and people are being left behind, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with broken public services, all while the very richest get richer. Choosing to make cut after cut to the poorest and most marginalised, while leaving the vast resource of the extreme wealth of the super rich untouched, is immoral, harmful, and will not deliver for our communities or the economy. Instead, this government could choose to tax the wealth of the very richest people and corporations. This would raise tens of billions annually to address the cost of living crisis and deliver the long-term investment our country needs.
Linda Burnip of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) said of the government’s cruel and brutal cuts to disability and health-related benefits:
The Labour government has clearly chosen to target Disabled People for budget savings to finance their war effort instead of targeting the super rich and tax avoiders. Over a decade of Tory cuts have led to the death of thousands of Disabled People”… “Instead of facing the reality that more and more people struggle with their physical and mental health, Labour is feeding in the narrative that Disabled People receiving benefits are work-shy and should be punished. Resistance is mounting and dozens of protests are already taking place across the country.
Tax the rich: Reeves and Labour ‘siding with the super-wealthy’
There have been mounting calls for the government to raise taxes on the assets of the super-rich. The Trades Union Congress endorsed one last summer, and in October, a dozen Labour MPs broke ranks to support the call.
According to Oxfam, the richest 1% of Brits own more wealth than the poorest 70%, and the world could see multiple trillionaires within a decade. Meanwhile, Greenpeace has calculated that levying even a 2.5% tax on assets over £10m could raise £36bn annually.
Senior economic justice campaigner at War on Want Nuri Syed Corser said:
Inequality is soaring, the climate is collapsing, and public services are at breaking point. We need huge public investment to tackle these crises. But instead, the government is gearing up to deliver lethal cuts to welfare, international aid and green investment, claiming there is not enough money to fund these life-saving policies. Meanwhile, the obscene wealth of the super-rich is surging and going largely untaxed. It’s time to tax it.
Others highlighted how the Labour Party’s programme of cuts to public services and welfare makes it a budget fit for billionaires and big polluters only. Campaigns director at Stamp Out Poverty Louise Hutchins said:
The big oil and gas corporations have raked in billions in profits over years, while households are struggle with soaring bills and the climate crisis deepens. Why is Rachel Reeves punching down and getting ordinary people to pay? Isn’t it obvious that she should be getting the fossil fuel polluters to pay up?
Similarly, UK Campaigner at 350.org Matilda Borgström argued:
Rachel Reeves’ decision to slash welfare while refusing to tax the super-rich is both cruel and misguided. Instead of making billionaires like Jim Ratcliffe – who profits from fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis – pay what they owe, she is choosing to side with the ultra-wealthy at the expense of ordinary people. A wealth tax on billionaires could fund vital support for those struggling with the cost of living – accelerating the transition to renewable energy could slash energy bills, insulate homes and create future-proof jobs. Instead, Reeves is prioritising the interests of a handful of elites over the well-being of millions. This is not just an economic failure – it’s a moral one.
Featured image via the Canary
