In a speech to the party’s Autumn Conference, Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury, said wealthy individuals needed to pay their fair share of tax.
“In this country, we tax work, effort and income too highly, and unearned wealth far too little. Now you can move your money off shore but you can’t move your mansion,” he said.
“That’s why we want a mansion tax. It’s simple, it’s fair, it’s unavoidable.
“An extra levy on high value property would get more money from those who can afford it. It would ensure that the burden of the next round of deficit reduction is shared more fairly. We will continue to argue for it within government.”
As widely trailed ahead of the speech, Alexander also presented an aggressive stance against tax avoiders, saying the coalition was on track to raise £4bn from tax dodgers through a series of schemes cracking down on avoidance
“We have this message to the small minority of wealthy people who don’t play by the rules: we are coming to get you and you will pay your fair share,” he said.
He also pledged to raise the income tax-free threshold to £12,500, saying it would be included in the party’s next manifesto, for the 2015 general election.
In his speech to the conference yesterday, business secretary Vince Cable also described the mansion tax as a “core Lib Dem policy”.
