I want you to be able to keep more of your hard earned money.
A good start has been made on this. Changes to income tax, with the personal allowance increasing to £11,500 in April 2017, mean that 46,444 people in Truro & Falmouth are paying less tax than in 2010.
We can and must go further, with taking people earning the minimum wage out of income tax all together. I want to see this increase in the personal allowance increase to £12,500 by 2020. This means anyone working 30 hours a week on the minimum wage would pay no income tax at all.
I believe we can afford more increases in the minimum wage and am glad it increased to £7.50 in April for people aged over 25.
Getting about by car is essential for many of our social and working lives in Cornwall; high fuel taxes hit us hard. I have been pleased to use the experiences of Cornish families to successfully argue in Parliament for a four year freeze on fuel taxes, saving you an average of £11 every time you fill up your tank. Motorists still face a heavy tax burden and I want to see this further reduced.
Energy and water bills also bite into our family budgets. I am pleased to have helped secure average energy bill savings of £50 per household and £50 off water bills for South West Water customers. Investment in infrastructure will secure lower bills in the long term and I will continue to do all I can to deliver this. New renewable energies such as marine and deep geothermal energy offer particularly exciting opportunities here to secure home made energy for the future.
Older people, who have contributed so much to our country, deserve a decent income in retirement. As a former director of Age Concern England I have been speaking up for older people in Parliament and have supported the restoration between the state pension and earnings that has meant above inflation increases in the state pension since 2010. At the bottom of this page you can find information.
As the Government’s long term economic plan improves lives for many, I want to make sure no one is left behind. I will continue to secure more money for Cornwall to support the most vulnerable people in our community. I have helped secure funding for new purpose built accommodation for homeless people to be opened next year and extra funding to help tackle rough sleeping. I work with local food banks here enabling people to connect to the help that is available to enable them a better future. I set up Fuelling Connections Cornwall that connects people to help that is available to tackle fuel poverty: