Liverpool Daily Post: Taxation burden 'rising all the time'

BRITAIN'S tax bill has increased by more than 50% in the past ten years under Labour, it was claimed today.

A report by the Tax- Payers' Alliance said the total tax burden now stood at £517m a year - the equivalent of £20,700 per household.

That compared with a tax take of £223bn in 1997-98 when Labour came to power, representing a 76% increase in cash terms over the decade, or 51% if inflation is taken into account.

The TPA said much of the increase was accounted for by littlenoticed "stealth taxes" or by "fiscal drag" - failing to raise tax thresholds in line with earnings - which the TPA now estimates accounts for £14bn of the annual tax take.

The fastest growing tax was said to be stamp duty, which now brings in £14.3bn compared to a take of £3.5bn tens years ago - an increase of more than 300%.