Rishi Sunak lays groundwork for tax hikes: The people to pay the price of Tory spending on cronyism and corruption.

Before the people pay a single penny more in taxes they should know where the billions have gone dished out during the covid crisis.

‘Our recovery comes with a cost’

On the eve of his conference speech, Mr Sunak was warned by Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg – a darling of the Tory right – that taxation has hit “the limit”.

But Mr Sunak has refused to rule out further hikes and, addressing a packed conference hall in Manchester with Boris Johnson in the audience, defended his approach.

After spending billions much of which was unaccountable and without proper tender during the covid pandemic, Rishi Sunak stated, ‘it comes at a cost’. A cost that will translate into tax hikes placed on the people.

During his speech at the Conservative Party conference Sunak stated Britain’s recovery from the pandemic “comes with a cost”, the chancellor highlighted the need to stop borrowing money and get public finances back to pre-Covid levels.

“Our recovery comes with a cost,” he said.

“Our national debt is almost 100% of GDP (gross domestic product – a measure of the size of the economy).

“So we need to fix our public finances.”

Sunak acknowledged that tax rises are “unpopular, some will even say un-Conservative”.

“Whilst I know tax rises are unpopular, some will even say un-Conservative, I’ll tell you what is un-Conservative: unfunded pledges, reckless borrowing, and soaring debt,” he told delegates in his first CPC speech as chancellor. “Yes, I want tax cuts. But in order to do that, our public finances must be put back on a sustainable footing.”

Show us the accounts, open up the books on covid spending.

Before the public are placed under even more pressure to once again balance the books, the books should be opened to public scrutiny. There needs to be transparency and accountability, where has all that taxpayers money gone? What has actually happened to the billions given away to friends donors family and colleges of the Tory party?

Analysis of Financial Times contract data by Spend Network, a global contract analysis consultancy, shows that Whitehall continued to award billions of pounds worth of contracts without a competitive process. Board of Audit Warning In November, the risk of “damaging public trust”.

Public Expenditure Watchdog £ 10.5bn Coronavirus Contract There was no competition, as well as a series of transparency and conflicts of interest concerns, for a total of £ 17.5 billion in contracts awarded over the four months to 31 July last year.

The ‘My Little Crony’ map shows how large numbers of contracts have been handed out to Conservative Party political donors, family members and employers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Good Law Project is blaming the “pork-barreled” political government have taken legal action against some Covid-19-related contracts.

“The procurement rules allow direct incentives in emergencies, and all contracts are published online in line with transparency requirements,” the Cabinet Office said.

However, Pedro Teres, an associate professor of procurement law at the Copenhagen Business School, said that the “majority” of contracts awarded over the past year is probably illegal given the restrictive nature of 2015 public contract regulations. Said. Competition only takes place when it is strictly necessary or in extreme emergencies due to “unpredictable” events.

Given the evidence that the coronavirus had spread from China, Taiwan and Italy earlier last year, it was not clear that a pandemic in the United Kingdom was unpredictable, Teres added.

In the case of awards for designing ventilators from scratch, contracts would never have been offered in time to support the first wave.

The use of the government’s “VIP list” of suppliers, compiled through the recommendations of parliamentarians and senior officials, was also illegal “to unnecessarily introduce discrimination to meet urgent needs.” [or needs]” Teresu added.

Of the £19 billion Covid-19 contract awarded without competitive bidding for the 12 months to March 18, £ 17.6 billion was awarded by the central government, primarily the Ministry of Health, and over £ 1.2 billion by the NHS. Awarded.

Source link £19bn UK Covid-related contract awarded without seeking rival bids

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