Prime minister once more hints at tax cuts

Date: 17th November 2008

The prime minister has once more hinted at taxation cuts for the coming pre-budget statement.

With chancellor Alistair Darling's announcement set to be made next Monday afternoon (November 24th), Gordon Brown has stated that the country is ready for a "fiscal stimulus".

His comments follow a statement made over the weekend by the International Monetary Fund, which called for co-ordinated action by the G-20 group of nations to revive the world economy.

Mr Brown said: "Britain, like many other countries in Europe, is ready to make its contribution for a temporary and affordable fiscal stimulus.

"It is now clear that the need for an urgent fiscal stimulus, within a medium-term framework of fiscal sustainability, is overwhelmingly accepted across the world."

In an interview with the BBC yesterday (November 16th), the chancellor said that the way out of a recession was by "helping businesses, by helping people."