Question Time member who earns over £80,000 slams Labour’s plans to ‘supertax’ him

Revealed: Question Time audience member who slammed Labour’s plans to ‘supertax’ him for earning over £80,000 is an IT consultant and champion TT biker

  • The man accused Labour of railing against billionaires but targeting employees
  • He slammed Richard Burgon in a blistering rant on Question Time in Bolton 
  • There was confusion by the frontbencher over whether he would pay the tax 
  • **Do you know this man? Email jack.w.elsom@mailonline.co.uk or call 02036150522** 

A senior Labour frontbencher was savaged on Question Time last night by a furious audience member who slammed Jeremy Corbyn for trying to hammer hard-working Britons with his radical ‘super-tax’.

Rob ‘Bullet’ Barber, 38, accused shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon’s party of railing against billionaires and the uber-wealthy, while actually pledging policies which would raid the pockets of ordinary employees.  

The IT consultant and high-profile motorcycle racer launched a blistering attack on Labour’s tax plans to thumping applause – but also left some viewers scratching their heads after seeming to get his numbers in a muddle.

Among a slew of punishing tax rises, Labour yesterday unveiled a jump to the 45p rate for those earning over £80,000, which the man said included him.

In an explosive rant in Bolton last night, Mr Barber said: ‘I’d like to call out Labour as liars. 

‘I am one of those people that he will tax more, and I’m nowhere near in the top 5 per cent, so I’m calling you a liar.’

To a burst of applause, he continued: ‘You’re not going after the billionaires, you’re going after the employees because it’s easy money.

‘I’ve got PAYE [Pay As You Earn] so I’ve got no choice.’

But Mr Burgeon hit back: ‘I’m afraid on that you’re  mistaken, we are not going to raise income tax for anybody apart from those in the top 5 per cent of earners.’

Is the audience member correct?

The audience member claimed he earns £80,000, will be subject to Labour’s proposed tax hike, but is not in the top 5 per cent of earners.

ONS figures say that anyone earning over £75,300 is in the top 5 per cent of earners, meaning the man’s claim is incorrect.

But he was right to point out that many of the ultra-wealthy do not pay income tax because they do not earn a salary. 

What followed was some confusion, with the man claiming he was not in the top 5 per cent, despite maintaining he earned over £80,000.

Mr Burgon then said: ‘So we’re not going to increase your income tax then.’ 

Yet the man was adamant, saying that because he earns over the £80,000 he will be subject to the 45p rate under a Labour government.

But he continued to insist that he does not fall in the top 5 per cent of earners bracket.

Murmurs from audience suggested that animated audience member was wrong, and host Fiona Bruce said: ‘I think that is in the top 5 per cent?’  

Convinced he was right, the man continued: ‘Every doctor, every accountant, every solicitor earns more than that, that’s not 5 per cent!’

Mr Burgon, a former lawyer, challenged the claim that every solicitor earns above £80,000 and prompted groans from the audience when he said he only earned £40,000 when he was practicing.

The man accused Richard Burgeon’s party of railing against billionaires and the uber-wealthy, but actually pledging policies which would rinse the pockets of ordinary employees

Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon was savaged on Question Time last night by a furious audience member who slammed Jeremy Corbyn for trying to hammer hard-working Britons with his radical 'super-tax'

Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon was savaged on Question Time last night by a furious audience member who slammed Jeremy Corbyn for trying to hammer hard-working Britons with his radical ‘super-tax’

It seems that the audience member had confused income with wealth, as he pointed to rich people who do not earn a salary but live off other means such as property, inheritance, pensions and dividends.

According to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, an income of £75,300 places an earner in the top 5 per cent. 

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says Mr Corbyn’s super-tax would affect up to 1.9million people and could even cost the Treasury £1billion a year if high earners cut their pre-tax income.

Labour has vowed to come down on the richest in society to foot their massive public services spending splurge, but IFS director Paul Johnson rubbished the claim.

He said: ‘There is no country that raises this kind of tax and does it just on companies and the rich. 

‘All of the other countries that have higher tax burdens than us, I’m afraid has higher tax burdens on people with average incomes.  

  • Do you know this man? Email jack.w.elsom@mailonline.co.uk or call 02036150522 

Labour’s tax plans in full: Massive hikes on the wealthy and big business

Labour is proposing sweeping changes to the UK’s tax system in order to fund its massive day-to-day spending plans. 

Here is a breakdown of the party’s own calculations setting out how much money each change would generate. 

Inheritance tax: The manifesto does not spell out exactly what that means, but the threshold for couples paying 40 per cent death duties was raised from £660,000 to £1million in 2015. Prior to the coalition government it was £325,000. 

It means those who own property – particularly in the South East – are almost certain to be caught by the duty.  

Income Tax: Labour would lower the threshold for paying the 45p additional rate from £150,000 to £80,000. A new ‘Super-rich rate’ of 50p would be introduced for those earning more than £125,000. Amount raised: £5.4bn

Corporation Tax: Reverse cuts to corporation tax to make small profits rate 21 per cent and the main rate 26 per cent. The main rate is currently 19 per cent. Amount raised: £23.7bn 

Taxing the wealthy: Labour said it would tax income from wealth more ‘equitably and efficiently’. It has pledged to tax capital gains at the same rates as income tax. Currently if you are a higher or additional rate taxpayer you pay 28 per cent on gains from the sale of residential property. Under Labour that would increase to at least 40 per cent. It would apply the same principle to taxing dividends. Amount raised: £14bn

Financial Transactions Tax: Extend stamp duty reserve duty on trades made in the City. Amount raised: £8.8bn

Tackling tax avoidance: Labour has pledged to launch the ‘biggest ever crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion’ through the introduction of a Fair Tax Programme. Amount raised: £6.2bn

Miscellaneous: Reverse inheritance tax cuts and levy on banks, impose VAT on private school fees, scrap the Married Persons Allowance and introduce a second homes tax. Amount raised: £5.2bn

Total amount raised through tax changes: £82.9bn

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk