21st April 2008
Colofn Golwg
In just under ten months, Gordon Brown has suffered 95 rebellions from his back benchers. The attacks are now coming from every direction. Who would have thought following all the joy surrounding his predecessors’ departure that Prime Minister Brown would be heckled with the exact same ghusto at the Labour Party’s Parliamentary meetings as Mr Blair?
And who was leading the crowd of opposers two weeks ago, like a rather disgruntled Queen Bodacia? The quiet, careful and thoughtful member for Llanelli - Nia Griffith. Her predecessor was quite a thorn in the side of Labour’s leaders, especially after his resignation one moonlight night. Nia, like Denzil Davies. is a product of Oxbridge, and she has been angered by the way Labour seems to be turning its back on its principles, in this instance over the party’s decision to drop the 10% rate for people on low incomes. This change, implemented at the beginning of this month, will raise tax levels for thousands of low-income workers to such an extent that the super-rich in the City will now be paying a smaller percentage of their income in tax than those who are cleaning their offices.
Of course, New Labour has been more than generous with its friends in the Square Mile.. Indeed, the Government’s own figures estimates losses of £42 billion a year due to tax evasion by large companies and rich individuals. The Government’s solution is to cut back on the number of staff in Inland Revenue offices throughout Wales. despite the fact that each one who works there pays for themselves 96 times over in tax that has been re-claimed.
There’s no surprise. therefore, that a big black hole is appearing in Alistair Darling’s accounts. But why raise the taxes of those who are least able to pay it? If accountants on behalf of their clients can be creative, why not the Government? Why not introduce, just as Italy has done, a tax on the pornorgaphy industry, which earns billions but avoids paying VAT even on its magazines. Millions of pounds could be raised - especially if it was extended to cover ‘page three’ papers - which could be of benefit to the sexual health servies which are often under-funded, despite the rise in sexually transmitted diseases. Unfortunately, the opinions of Mr Murdoch and Mr Desmond are the ones with the most influence in Downing Street, not the person who cleans the offices of their media empires, or even the Member for Llanelli.
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Mewn cwta deg mis mae Gordon Brown wedi dioddef 95 o wrthryfeloedd o’i feinciau cefn. Mae’r ymosodiadau yn dechrau dod o bob cyfeiriad. Pwy fyddai wedi dychmygu yn nhoriad y wawr o orfoledd mawr disodli ei ragflaenydd, y byddai Prif Weinidog Brown yn cael ei heclo yng nghyfarfod y Blaid Lafur Seneddol gyda’r un arddeliad a’r diweddar Mr Blair?
A phwy oedd yn arwain y dorf o wrthwynebwyr bythefnos yn ôl, fel rhyw frenhines Fuddug ychydig-yn-anfodlon? Yr aelod tawel, gofalus, meddylgar dros Lanelli - Nia Griffith. Yr oedd ei rhagflaenydd yn dipyn o ddraenen yn ystlys arweinyddion Llafur, yn arbennig ar ôl ei ymddiswyddiad un nos ola leuad. Mae Nia, fel Denzil Davies, yn gynnyrch Rhydygrawnt, wedi ei chythruddo gan Lafur yn cefnu ar eu hegwyddorion, yn yr achos yma am ollwng y gyfradd 10% i bobl ar incwm isel. Effaith y newid ddechrau’r mis hwn fydd codi lefelau treth i filiynau o weithwyr cyflog-isel i’r fath raddau y bydd yr uwch-gyfoethog yn y Ddinas nawr yn talu llai fel canran o’u hincwm mewn treth na’r sawl sydd yn glanhau eu swyddfeydd.
Wrth gwrs, mae Llafur Newydd wedi bod yn hael iawn gyda’u ffrindiau yn y Filltir Sgwâr. Mae ffigurau’r Llywodraeth ei hunan yn amcangyfrif colledion o £42 biliwn y flwyddyn oherwydd osgoi treth gan gwmnïau mawr ac unigolion cyfoethog. Ateb y Llywodraeth i hyn ydi torri nôl ar nifer y staff yn swyddfeydd Cyllid y Wlad trwy Gymru, er bod pob un sydd yn gweithio yno yn talu am eu hunain 96 gwaith drosodd mewn treth wedi ei adennill.
Does dim syndod, felly, bod yna fwlch mawr du yn ymddangos yng nghyfrifon Alistair Darling. Ond pam codi treth ar y lleiaf abl i’w dalu? Os ydi cyfrifwyr yn medru bod yn greadigol ar ran eu cleientiaid, pam ddim y Llywodraeth? Pam ddim cyflwyno treth, fel mae’r Eidal newydd ei wneud, ar y diwydiant pornograffaidd, sydd yn ennill biliynau ond sydd yn osgoi Treth-Ar-Werth hyd yn oed ar ei gylchgronau. Fe godai cannoedd o filiynau - yn arbennig o’i hymestyn i bapurau ‘tudalen tri’ - fyddai o ddefnydd mawr i’r gwasanaeth iechyd rhywiol sydd yn cael ei dan-gyllido’n gyson, er gwaetha’r cynnydd mewn afiechydon rhywiol. Yn anffodus barn Mr Murdoch a Mr Desmond sydd yn dal sylw Stryd Downing ar hyn o bryd, nid y person sydd yn glanhau swyddfeydd eu hymerodraethau cyhoeddi, nac ychwaith yr Aelod o Lanelli.
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