UK: Johnson breaks tax hike promise to fund social, health costs

British Prime Minister broke his Conservative Party’s manifesto pledge to not raise taxes by announcing new levies to fund rising social and healthcare costs.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised voters during the 2019 election campaign that his government would not raise taxes on individuals. He also promised he would tackle rising care costs, which are projected to double over the next 20 years as the United Kingdom’s population ages. On Tuesday, Johnson broke one promise to keep another. In a speech to lawmakers in the House of Commons, he said his government had made the “difficult but responsible” decision to raise taxes on workers, employers and some investors to shore up the nation’s social care system and throw a financial lifeline to the overstretched National Health Service, where backlogs for procedures have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.