Following the statement last week by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Catholic Union has issued the following response:
James Somerville-Meikle and Nigel Parker (right) outside Number 10
Nigel Parker, Director of the Catholic Union, comments: “The scale of the Government’s intervention in the energy market highlights the seriousness of the challenge we face. The decision to cap energy prices will come as a relief to many – including our churches which faced eye-watering price hikes in their heating and electricity bills this winter.
“The Chancellor has set the dial firmly to economic growth. While we need growth to pay for public services, there is no guarantee that a growing economy will benefit everyone in society. We not only need a plan for how to grow the economy, we need a plan to make it fairer. The lack of reference to fairness in the Chancellor’s statement is concerning and the Catholic Union will continue to make the case for policies that support the common good.
“Much of the Chancellor’s statement focused on changes to personal and corporation taxes, but he missed the opportunity to make the tax system fairer for families. Given that Liz Truss committed to this in the leadership contest, we hope this will be brought forward soon. Increasing the Married Couple’s Allowance would be a good place to start.
“There was precious little in the statement about support for those on the margins of society – with local authorities and charities struggling to meet the needs of the homeless and vulnerable households. It’s clear we need a renewed focus on creating a fairer economy and more prosperous society.”