housingJohn Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing and Planning, responding to reports that the Government is considering softening their ‘pay to stay’ measures, said:

“The Government‘s tenant tax will single out working families on modest incomes and hike their rents. Labour has warned from the start that this is an extraordinary attack on middle income families, and will create a big financial penalty for people who get a job or take on extra hours.

“It’s not surprising that George Osborne is getting cold feet. But if he wants to avoid hitting working families he’ll scrap this change altogether.

“The reality is this tenant tax is just the tip of the iceberg in an extreme Housing and Planning Bill which will make it much harder to build and keep the mix of affordable homes to rent and buy the country needs.”