The chancellor today confirmed plans to introduce a new 45% tax rate for high earners and said he would be making other changes to the way income tax is paid. Announcing his pre-budget statement to MPs, Alistair Darling said that from April 2011 those people earning more than £150,000 a year would face a new tax rate of 45p in the £1. The move will affect the top 1% of incomes. Darling...

Alistair Darling is set to announce a new higher rate of income tax on top earners, it was reported tonight. The chancellor was said to be unveiling the plan for a 45% top rate in his pre-budget report tomorrow. But the new rate, to be levied on those earning more than £150,000 a year, would not be introduced until 2011 - after the next general election. The strategy would mean the proposal ...

Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced a new top rate of income tax of 50 per cent for those earning over £150,000.

The government and opposition were at loggerheads last night over claims that the chancellor's changes to the tax system would affect not just the super-rich but middle-income Britain too. On the same day Alistair Darling acknowledged that those earning over £40,000 will pay more tax through the half-point increase in national insurance from 2011, independent analysis conducted by t...

• 50p top tax rate for those earning over £150,000 • Chancellor unveils £1.7bn job-creation scheme • Live coverage of the budget debate Alistair Darling today pledged to reinvigorate Britain's ailing economy with a £1.7bn job-creation scheme and a new 50p income tax band for the highest paid. With the British economy set to shrink by 3.5% this year – its...

The chancellor has warned the leaders of a backbench rebellion over tax policy that if they were successful tonight no further income tax could be raised this year and all income tax paid since 6 April might have to be re-paid. Alistair Darling met the Labour MPs Frank Field and Greg Pope this lunchtime to discuss their attempt to block the passage of the legislation enacting his Budget until the ...

Alistair Darling said the 50p tax rate replaces the planned 45p new top rate for those earning over £150,000 a year announced in November's pre-budget report and will kick in April 2010, a year earlier than planned The chancellor, Alistair Darling, today told the rich they faced a top tax rate of 50% as he sought to plug a record budget deficit and admitted the country would suffer this...

Alistair Darling will announce today that income tax for those earning more than £150,000 a year will rise to 45p in the pound during the next parliament to help pay for Labour's £15bn anti-recession emergency package. Faced with the challenge of reducing state borrowing from an expected £120bn next year, the chancellor will use today's pre-budget report to break New La...

Alistair Darling was embroiled in a row with the Tories today over opposition claims that his pre-budget report will penalise anyone earning more than £19,000 a year. The chancellor denied the claim, saying that only those earning more than £40,000 a year will end up losing out when all the tax changes mentioned in yesterday's statement are taken into account. But the Tories defen...

Darling’s statement - the continuation thread Alistair Darling has given his Pre-Budget Report speech, with the highlights being largely as expected: VAT cut from 17.5% to 15% for 13 months beginning on Monday, and an increase in the basic rate of Income Tax to 45% for those earning over £150,000. What had not been leaked was the