It’s late already: only six weeks to prepare the way for what’s to come. Everyone knows taxes will rise on 26 November, budget day. Speculation runs wild, often malevolently designed to frighten. Will she, won’t she break her pledge not to raise the three big taxes? Even if the chancellor keeps her promise, people already think she’s broken it. She (unwisely) promised tax rises were one-and-done at the last budget, so best to raise a hefty sum now as she’ll be damned anyway.
In the old saw, taxes are certain: what’s uncertain is whether they threaten the death of this government. She is some £40bn short, but she’s not short of super-abundant advice. But though everyone knows tax rises are coming, neither she nor the prime minister are rolling the political pitch to explain why this must happen and expound the choices.
