Last thing I want in a squeeze is hit people with more taxes

Dear Ed, LONDONERS for eight years have been afflicted by an unrelenting 152 per cent increase in the GLA’s portion of council tax. The last thing politicians should do when people are feeling the squeeze is to hit them with tax increases

Dear Ed,

LONDONERS for eight years have been afflicted by an unrelenting 152 per cent increase in the GLA’s portion of council tax.

The last thing politicians should do when people are feeling the squeeze is to hit them with tax increases. It is our duty to provide the best service we can—but not at any price.

My first budget as Mayor of London has been approved unamended by the London Assembly. By focusing on modest savings across the board—like scrapping The Londoner freesheet—we have achieved more than �100 million of efficiency savings, without impacting on services.

This budget will pay the cost of 500 uniformed officers on public transport, half-price bus and tram fares for those on income support and job-seekers allowance, the extension of the Freedom Pass and a new off-peak period to allow cheaper Oyster travel during the day.

In this time of economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to keep taxes as low as possible.

Boris Johnson

Mayor of London

City Hall

Queen's Walk, Southwark