| Pensioners 'paying a heavy price for a pro-rich Budget', says TUC Commenting on the age-related tax allowances announced in the Budget today (Wednesday) TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'The Chancellor's decision to raise more than a billion extra pounds in tax from pensioners by freezing age-allowances will come back to haunt him. It's already being dubbed 'the granny tax'. 'Pretending that pensioners will be grateful because it will simplify their tax is a vain hope. Instead they will see that they are being asked to pay more while the super-rich have kept all the pensions tax relief - a heavy burden for ordinary taxpayers. 'And with ever more increases in the state pension age threatened in a new White Paper - a burden that falls more heavily on the poor, the regions and those with manual jobs - older workers and pensioners are paying a heavy price for a pro-rich Budget.' |