What about the new car tax? Next April my tax will have quadrupled in 7 years and is probaly worth more than the car. This will hit the poor very hard on the run up to the next election.

As Steve Norris said about the congestion charge in London, 'it's roads for the rich' under Labour

Robert, Worcester, UK

U turn Government ? not at all - more like U bend !

John Newbury, Warminster, UK

At my place of work; all the workers are under 30 and ALL of them have seen their taxes rise. Not one of them claim tax credits or are even probably aware they could do so.

Brown has bought off the rebels with a bag of magic beans and will be laughing all the way to the bank.

John, Blackpool, UK

Surely, the reason Brown made these changes in the '97 Budget was that he was planning ahead for when he would takeover as PM and call THAT early election? He wanted to go to the country boasting that he had reduced taxes to the lowest basic rate ever, and outbid the Conservatives tax promises.

m wood, somerset, uk

U-turn to ensure the election is not impacted. Yet another hollow promise by NuLab. Ken bought out the Union by ensuring they do not strike and now GB wants to buy out the voters for next week's election. What a pathetic gesture. People of UKplc it is your chance to show your disgust for NuLab!

yt, London, UK

Is it just obvious to me that the personal tax free allowance should be hugely increased, funded by sweeping away the myriad "benefits" and tax credits as well as the army of civil servants administrating the same? This has to be the best way of helping the low waged.

Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

Far too little, too late and too complicated Mr Brown.
This former Labour voter has voted Tory in the London elections via my postal ballot. I just wish it was a general election.

Stuart Webb, London, UK

...and still nothing said in the media about the CUT in Corporation tax for Big Business and the INCREASE in Corporation tax for Small Business. They could re-intruduce the 10p rate and pay for it from the ever increasing tax take on the price of Petrol.

Rab, Glasgow,

The overwhelming majority of MPs quietly swallowed the loss of the 10p tax band because they thought their party could walk on water. It was only when Brown backed away from an election and one disaster after another was reflected in the polls that the Labour 'conscience' started to stir.

anne, bournemouth,

It looks to me like GB cuts the 22p rate to 20p to help his campaign for the, later aborted, autumn 07 general election. He needs middle class votes to win, and thought his 'rob the poor' trick wouldnt become obvious until after he had won.

Andrew Piercy, Northampton, England

Of the seven people who work in my office and claim family tax credits every single one has had to repay 'overpayments', three as much as £2500. Either the staff at the inland revenue are incompetent or the system is flawed.Our PM 'helps' the poor and then like a thief in the night steals it back.

john, Oldham,

Neither Brown nor Darling has any grasp of tax policy, or any curiosity about it. As the article says, tax changes are introduced impulsively and for short-term political gain, without thinking them through. Unfortunately, Osborne doesn't appear to be much better. Vince Cable, yes.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I have not seen a single commentor or MP comment on the Budget change that reduced Pension Tax Relief from 22% to 20% for the lower paid.

Yes its another clever take from the lower paid worker of 2p in every pound put into thier pensions.

I calculate its works out at £1Bn a year to the Government

P Dowding, Church Fenton, Engalnd

Remember the last PM who cocked a policy up and refused to do a U-Turn. The Torygraph is convinced she was the UK's greatest post-war PM but she went to her political grave chanting the mantra 'The Community Charge will be popular'.
The big problem was that her MP's were too craven to warn her.

bill from the bush, Basingstoke, england

So, lots of MP's and the like say they will resign.

It will be interesting to hear their reasons why they have not resigned in a couple of weeks time when nothing has changed.

A message to those MP's and the like.

We don't believe you will resign, mostly because of your past conduct.!

Dave Kinsley, Derby, UK

Gordon Brown will be remembered as the TenPenny Accountant/Chancellor who could'nt add up but could waste precious Billions.
So much has been sqandered by so few.
So much for his 'Green Credentials' - more like 'Green behind the ears'.
He would never have been in charge of the Petty Cash Box!

Bill, Swindon, UK

The fairest way of taking working people out of the low income bracket would be to substantially increase personal tax allowances and to scrap the working tax credits which is only there to allow more snooping into peoples' affairs and of course to create a larger voting base for himself and party

Mick Boon, Grays, England

He hasn't achieved the other thing he claimed by cutting the 10% band - to simplify the tax system.

CHARLES, EXETER,

Samantha, London
That would never do for this control freak we had as Chancellor and now have as PM. He makes us poor so that we have to beg and then he can "help" us.
Be pacient Samantha; before long Gordon Brown and his sycophantic ministers will be begging us for our vote. We know what to do

Matilde, London,

There is something wrong with our bloody country...when a venal government puts all its eggs in one basket and then does nothing but administer to that basket...

The eggs are the economy and the basket is the venal government... the venal government knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing...

Hugh E Torrance, London, England

Problem with democracy is that everybody gets to vote and politicians are reduced to soap advertising tactics to stay in power - truth is most of them have stains that will never wash out.

Ivan de Nemethy, London, UK

Judging by the latest fiasco, neither Brown nor Darling are fit to run a Winkle stall, let alone one selling Whelks.

D.Walker, Burnley, England

As a small business owner I have retreated into my bunker, stopped investment, stopped spending, stopped expansion, stopped taking on new employees until the Clunking Chancellor has gone and the sun come out again.

Demaris, Dudley,

This is not a u-turn by Gordon Brown. There will still be thousands of people like myself , who work part-time and have no young children, and my daughter on a low wage, who are going to have to subsidise higher paid workers.
Raising the higher rate tax and retaining the 10% rate would be fairer.

Pam , Ravenshead, Notts

Hard working people don't want to go cap in hand for tax rebates. It makes them feel like second class citizens. They want to work, and get paid for it.

Absolutely spot on - I don't want to be supported - I want to stand on my own two feet - let me keep the money and leave me alone

Tony, Cardiff,

Not all the people who are elligible for tax credits will claim them. Some won't even know and some are too proud to do so. The government know this will just keep quiet and keep the money, just downright dishonest!

Brian Roberts , Plymouth, Devon

I find it very difficult to understand how Brown thought he would get away with the deceit of the 10p tax removal. Surely he did not really think nobody would notice.

Has anybody yet considered the extra administration costs involved with this so called 'u-turn'.

Dr. W. J. Scaife, Chelmsford, England

This is a perfect example of MPs saving their own skins. They do not know how much the compensation will be, to whom it is going to be paid and when it is going to be paid, (if at all). They do not know how it is to be funded because at the moment it is only another New Labour 'promise'.

Peter, Brixham, Devon

My girl friend is a 59 year old Gujerati woman working at a minimum wage stand-up factory job. She is going to lose several hundred pounds a year, thanks to GB. She can't fill in a lot of forms; she can hardly read. GB had better stay out of reach of her handbag! And there are plenty more like her.

Thomas Goodey, Cuxton-upon-Medway, England

To paraphrase one of the Hellers(Robert or Joseph?) "things can only get bitter, unless, of course, they get worse".

Bill Peter, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I wonder how many people will use next weeks election to show him our anger?
If Labour get a good spanking then, hopefully, the message will get through.

Ken Wyatt, Todmorden, UK

Hard working people don't want to go cap in hand for tax rebates. It makes them feel like second class citizens. They want to work, and get paid for it. Not taxed more and then have to carry a begging bowl.

samantha, London, UK

Brown hasn't done anything. He has promised something for only 396,000 people. The rest will still have to cough up. He has not said what he will do for the 4.6 million still affected by an increase. Is the media being purposefully stupid about this?

judy, Liverpool, England

Brown is in a mess entirely of his own making and yet even now he can't bring himself to admit the mistake, say sorry and do something about it. This keeps happening and yet he keeps up the same bravado, the same excuses. This man is not fit to be prime minister. He's a national embarrassment.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK

and more bitter.

Albert Hall, kettering,