It's about time we had a politician talking seriously about tax reduction. Red tape is just a way of politicians funding a lifestyle for more civil servants at the expense of the working taxpayer. Finally, someone who will stand up at the next election and make the right noises, if only the rest of the party will let him.
The real surprise is that he is a career politician of the same generation as our current PM, but the difference in attitude is as startling as it is refreshing.
Bring back the days of small government and reduced taxes - the sooner the better.

KR, Stockport,

It surprises me how people seem to draw a distinction between different types of assets as if it is somehow less just to pay IHT on a family home which has increased in value due to market factors than say a portfolio of shares.

If the aim is to take people who are not "rich" out of IHT, surely the sensible thing would be to raise the threshold and up the rate higher up the chain to compensate. Let's face it, piggy backing on your ancestors' success is a pretty undeserving way to make it through life and the passing on of great wealth through generations just further embeds the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots." Business assets are already exempt so there is no argument that IHT prevents people from taking over the family business and working for a living!!

JP, UK, UK

Frank Upton can only be described as a prat. Inhertiance tax is an evil unfair taxation as the 'super-rich' can avoid paying it through a series of loopholes the current Prime-Minister failed to deal with during his disasterous tenure as Chancellor (the man who ruined Pension funds, PFI, selling of gold reserves, 'consultents' in the civil-service etc etc). The middle-class are in a poverty trap as they thend not to be well enough off to come up with expensive 'trust' set-ups. This Countrys economy depends on inherited wealth and the abolition of IHT should be at the for-front of any political partys election manifesto.

Timothy Murray, Berwick,

Mr Upton, inheritance tax has been earned- it has been earned (and already taxed once) by the person that has died. And it may well be needed by those that remain.

Even as a labour supporter, I think it is a regressive tax and the threshold should be substantially raised. Someone with a £300,000 net worth cannot in anyway be described as rich these days. The whole point of inheritance tax was to stop the continuation of excessive old money passing from one generation to the next. It now hits far too many middle income families and must be reformed without delay.

Alan Bone, London, UK

"when economic circumstances allow" - yeah, when pigs can fly.

MICHAEL COLE, london,

This is another short sighted, ridiculous band wagon jump by the Conservatives. I vote conservative and my parents house is worth into 7 figures and I am fully in favour of inheritance tax. My parents have made it clear that whilst I will inherit from their will, I should never expect to and that this does give me an unfair advantage in maintaining my position in society from their hard work and wealth and I fully agree.

Inheritance tax over time creates a level playing field with those whom it doesn't effect, which is the majority of people. This is a very foolish idea.

Andrew Banks, London, England

Hooray!

Might even vote again.

Benjamin , Gloucester,

Abolition of IHT will only increase wealth inequalities in Britain when only 5% of estates pay it.

Labour and the Lib Dems should resist the Tory attempt to bounce them into abolishing it.

Better expose it for what it is: an attempt to make the better off wealthier at the expense of 95% of the rest of the population.

Tony Ellis, Heswall, Wirral

Of course the policy group includes the usual get out clause 'when circumstances allow'. which is usually a sign for never.

alan frankcom, solihull, UK

<<<"Main homes exempt in new Tory plan to abolish inheritance tax"

Whats the snag? There must be a snag. This sounds unbelievable. >>>

30 years ago I bought a house, it's now worth a million.

30 years ago I started a small business. Thanks to my hard work it is now worth a million.

Spot the snag?

alan, Edinburgh, UK

He deemed it unfair.... hmm what about the poor paying more tax as a percentage of their income under a Labour government. I think the economic circumstances allow are already here - the housing boom. Talk about deaths like Alan Ball and Bruce Forsyth, but don't mention the blood sucking lawyers or back scratching stockbrokers and maybe he could pull it off. I just can't believe how amazing this policy is, i wouldn't think that most of the country would give the mega rich £5bn a year, but hey he went to Eton he must know what he's doing.

Mark, Newton-le-willows,

Whatever the merits or otherwise of this, and the Redwood Red Tape plan recently announced, it is good to see the Tories at long last announcing policies which have relevance and difference from the current Labour thinking.

All we have had prior to this has been a Cameron attempt to try to appeal to everyone with more of the same old New Labour Blair/Brown doctrine.

The only way the Tories will become electable is if they develop this "clear blue water" between them and the rest. If the labour jibe is that this is just a return to the right then lets have more.

Peter Sleightholme, Barry, S Glamorgan

It would be much better to reduce income tax or National Insurance. These are taxes on money that people earn and need. Inheritance Tax is levied on money that people haven't earned and don't need.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

Good riddance to IHT. Mind you, if it takes as long to abolish it as it did to "reform the rates" under Mrs Thatcher then I ain't holding my breath.
Don't you just love the phrase "when economic circumstances allow". Tory jam tomorrow more like it.
I wonder when the Tory Party will finally grasp the idea that producing their own 'Red Book' might be of benefit?

michael murphy, brightlingsea, essex

"Main homes exempt in new Tory plan to abolish inheritance tax"

Whats the snag? There must be a snag. This sounds unbelievable. They'd win the general election with flying colors

Mohammed, London, UK

For nearly a decade now Brown has been long on business and 'hard-working people' in general, whilst being extermely short on the delivery of a friendly environment for either of these groups.

Brown has allowed his left-wing tendencies to shine through in his over-burdening, over-regulating instincts. Whenever the coffers were becoming shallow, he would find what is often described as a clever ruse or stealth tax to fund his latest requirements to interfere in our lives under the guise 'support'. The truth is that if there were less taxes to pay there would be fewer people in need of support schemes.

The Tories have advocated slashing the cost of the public sector red tape whilst simulatneously returning the savings to tapayers. This policy is always the natural result of a decade of socialism. It is the only way to stimulate both entrepreneurs and hard workers into generating wealth in the economy.

If this is a' lurch to Right', then bring it on.

Edwin Thornber, Buxharest,

Why should second homes owned for more than ten years be exempt? Surely if the main residence was inheritance tax free then that would be a great step forward and the proposals could be implemented much sooner as it would be far less cost to the Treasury.
I am sure that I am completely wrong in assuming that Mr Rewood's proposals have nothing to do with politicians owning more than one or two properties!!

Ianto, llandysul, wales