Roof Tax And The Conduct Of The Honourable Member For Dagenham

EDM number 1028 in 1989-90, proposed by Matthew Taylor on 21/05/1990.

That this House notes the Labour Party stands divided over any alternative to the Poll Tax, that in Scotland where Labour have a Roof Tax policy it is no better than a return to the injustice of the rates, that Labour's latest proposal for England and Wales of a Roof Tax comprising taxes on both property and income would confirm the Labour Party as the party of more taxes and increased bureaucracy; further notes that after 11 years in opposition Labour's inability to agree a policy of local government finance has reached new depths with the honourable Member for Dagenham declining to even appear on the BBC 'On the Record' programme to attempt to explain Labour's latest confusion; and calls on the honourable Member for Dagenham to stop running scared and take the opportunity afforded by the Liberal Democrats' debate on alternatives to the Poll Tax to seek to contribute to the debate and give a full explanation both of Labour's alternative to the Poll Tax, and their reasons for rejecting the Liberal Democrats' local income tax proposal, which opinion polls confirm as the most popular alternative to the Poll Tax.

This motion has been signed by a total of 8 MPs.