The Conservatives in the United Kingdom have been lost in the wilderness ever since the Thatcher years, and recent efforts to recapture the tax issue illustrate the Party’s incompetence. As reported by the BBC, a working group has proposed some decent tax reforms, including an attack on Britain’s death tax. The head of the group even made a pro-growth argument for the reform, but the Party’s Shadow Chancellor then confuses the message by stating that any tax cuts must be financed by tax increases (the Tories, like American Republicans, are unwilling to control the size of government):

A Conservative government should abolish inheritance tax because it penalises too many middle-income families, a policy group recommends. …Led by former Cabinet minister John Redwood, the Competitive Challenge working group says the government has introduced many “stealth taxes” since Labour came to power 10 years ago. …Mr Redwood told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme his proposals would not require cuts in public services because they would help the economy grow. …”Any reductions in specific taxes will have to be balanced by tax increases elsewhere, most notably green taxes,” [Shadow Chancellor George Osborne] added.

The Labour Party instantly seized on the mistake. As noted in the Guardian, the Tories are now being criticized for supporting “crippling” tax hikes:

A bitter war of words has broken out over Tory proposals for £21 billion in targeted tax cuts. Labour warned that the plans, put forward by former Cabinet minister John Redwood, would require “crippling” increases in fuel duty and other charges for homeowners, businesses, holidaymakers and motorists.