Kevin Lang hits out at Labour's disgraceful tax credit record

9.57.24pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 27th May 2007

Local Liberal Democrat Kevin Lang has hit out at the government's disgraceful tax credit record after the government published records showing they overpaid £1.7 million of tax credits in three years to residents of Edinburgh North & Leith and wrongly paid out over £9 billion across the country.

At the same time they failed to pay over 1,000 families in Edinburgh North & Leith the tax credit awards they were entitled to. This amounted to a massive underpayment of £600,000.

Kevin Lang said,

"The government's record on tax credits here in Edinburgh North & Leith is a disgrace. Gordon Brown has presided over a tax credits fiasco that is of his own making.

"Not only have taxpayers throughout Edinburgh lost out, but the government is now trying to claw back money from people on very low incomes - even when it was government mistakes which led to the errors.

"The government's shambolic tax credit system leads to uncertainty for many families in Edinburgh North & Leith as they have no way of knowing what they will receive. I am campaigning for a simple system of fixed term awards of six months so that families know what they are getting and get what they are entitled to."