Labour's newly appointed tax adviser previously suggested "codger" pensioners should be hit with higher taxes and stripped of their free TV license, sparking criticism from the Tories.
Sir Edward Troup, a former head of HMRC, was appointed by Rachel Reeves to sit on a panel of experts advising her on tackling tax avoidance.
But the appointment has sparked fury after it emerged that he previously called for sweeping tax rises.
Craig Tracey, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, said his comments are evidence that the Labour Party would take the UK "back to square one by hiking up taxes".
Labour's newly appointed tax adviser previously suggested "codger" pensioners should be hit with higher taxes and stripped of their free TV license, sparking criticism from the Tories
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Troup, who was previously a special adviser to former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke, previously claimed pensioners are an “under-taxed generation” who “have had it ridiculously good”.
Speaking at a round table event hosted by the Resolution Foundation in November 2019, he suggested that perks given to over-75s, such as free TV licences, should be handed to younger working families instead.
Talking about how to raise more money, Troup said: "Where should we be looking? You should look to my generation.
"I’m a baby boomer, I was born in 1955, and we have had it ridiculously good. We’ve benefited from low interest rates, high inflation when we bought our houses, we’ve enjoyed good returns on whatever we’ve managed to put into our pension funds.
"We’re not paying national insurance if we’re still working after the age of 60, and it’s a complete disgrace.
"I am part of an under-taxed generation, so I’m afraid we are going to have to look at the more senior members of society."
Troup, who was previously a special adviser to former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke, previously claimed pensioners are an “under-taxed generation” who “have had it ridiculously good”
PA
He added: "We should be looking at the codgers".
Troup also pointed to what he dubbed "great analysis" in the Financial Times, which he said highlighted "the ridiculous nature of giving free television licences to the over-75s who are much better off than young families with children".
Reacting to the appointment, Tracey said: "It should come as no surprise that Labour's new tax tsar wants to slap working people with higher taxes.
"They will try to deny it, but Labour's billions in unfunded spending pledges can only mean one thing - taking us back to square one by hiking up taxes.
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"Meanwhile this Conservative government are sticking to the plan, and delivering a £900 tax cut for working people."
But a Labour spokesperson hit out at “desperate stuff from a Conservative Government that crashed the economy and left the tax burden at the highest it has been for 70 years, with the average family set to be £870 worse off under Rishi Sunak’s tax plans”.
They added: “The Tories should spend less time smearing former civil servants and more time explaining how they will fund the £46 billion black hole in their spending plans.”
