Last week we saw the Chancellor deliver her second budget, and I honestly cannot remember a budget with a buildup more chaotic and worrying for families and businesses across the country.
Sadly, I am not surprised by this, because Labour came into office without a plan for government, leading to knee-jerk policy making.
I want to be clear: this is not a budget for growth. It is a budget designed to buy the Chancellor and Prime Minister more time in office.
This Government is in crisis, fighting political fires rather than dealing with the priorities of the people of Wales.
Last month, the Chancellor held an early-morning press briefing to lay the foundations for income-tax rises, only to buckle under pressure and create more uncertainty for families and businesses.
Last year, we saw Labour attempt welfare reform, but they were unable to deliver because the Prime Minister has lost control of his backbenchers.
Not content with the £40 billion in tax rises in last year’s budget, this budget now levies another £26 billion.
Perhaps most disheartening is the Chancellor’s inability to accept responsibility for her party’s poor policy making.
She has blamed everyone from the Conservatives to Donald Trump for her government’s inability to govern and make difficult decisions.
As I have said time and time again, growth is not a policy; it is an aim.
What you need to ensure economic growth is sensible policy making, low taxes, and high employment.
Instead, last year we saw a tax on family farms, a rise in National Insurance, and now a slashing of Cash ISA, along with a tax raid on people’s pensions.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to save and aspire to a better life under this Labour Government.
As the Senedd agreed last week, this budget does not serve the people of Wales.
I fear this is not the end of tax rises under Labour and that things will become more difficult for aspiring working families.
What we need is a government willing to cut taxes, get a grip on welfare spending, and tackle the rising unemployment Wales is facing.
The Welsh Conservatives have pledged to cut income tax, abolish the Welsh stamp duty, and get our economy moving through sensible financial policy making.
It is only the Welsh Conservatives who have a plan, and until we get a Conservative Government, Wales and the United Kingdom will be unable to reach their full economic potential.
Peter Fox MS - Monmouth
