# No tax rises for working people

> “Labour will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT.”
>
> — Labour Party; 2024 manifesto, page 21, 13 June 2024

- **Status:** In plan
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Taxes](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/taxes)
- **Speaker:** [Labour Party](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/labour)
- **Made on:** 13 June 2024
- **Where:** 2024 manifesto, page 21
- **Deadline:** 1 July 2029
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** People in work across the UK who pay income tax, National Insurance and VAT
- **When:** For the Parliament (taken as to 1 July 2029)
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Labour-Party-manifesto-2024.pdf#page=21 (checked word for word on 6 October 2026; Quoted for reporting; rights stay with the publisher)
- **Last updated:** 6 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-no-tax-rise-working-people-2024

## Where it stands

Autumn Budget 2024 restated the commitment (para 2.35), Budget 2025 said the headline rates were not increasing (para 2.27), and the main rates of income tax (20%, 40%, 45%), employee National Insurance and VAT have not risen since the election. Other changes affect the same taxes: employer National Insurance rose to 15% from April 2025, income tax and National Insurance thresholds stay frozen to April 2031, and the dividend ordinary and upper rates rise by 2 points from April 2026, and tax rates on savings and property income by 2 points from April 2027 (Finance Act 2026 ss.4, 5 and 7). The card stays at In plan until the pledge can be judged as a whole at the end of the Parliament, taken as 1 July 2029.

## Timeline

- 13 June 2024, Promised: Labour manifesto pledges not to raise National Insurance, the main rates of income tax or VAT
- 30 October 2024, In plan: Autumn Budget 2024 says the government is not increasing the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax, National Insurance contributions or VAT; the same Budget raises the employer National Insurance rate to 15% from April 2025 ([evidence](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/672b9695fbd69e1861921c63/Autumn_Budget_2024_Accessible.pdf))
- 26 November 2025, In plan: Budget 2025 says the government is not increasing the headline rates of income tax, National Insurance contributions or VAT; it extends the threshold freeze to April 2031 and raises tax rates on dividend, savings and property income ([evidence](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6929b353345e31ab14ecf735/E03444720_Budget_2025_Web_Accessible.pdf))
- 1 July 2029, Deadline (to come): End of the Parliament (editorial date)

## About the cost

A pledge not to raise rates has no direct cost against existing plans, and no official costing of it exists. Labour's fiscal plan says policies not listed in its costings are funded from existing budgets or have no cost.

Costing sources:
- [Labour Party: Change, 2024 manifesto (PDF), fiscal plan, page 126](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Labour-Party-manifesto-2024.pdf#page=126)

## Sources

- [Labour Party: Change, 2024 manifesto (PDF), page 21](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Labour-Party-manifesto-2024.pdf#page=21)
- [HM Treasury: Autumn Budget 2024 (30 Oct 2024)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/672b9695fbd69e1861921c63/Autumn_Budget_2024_Accessible.pdf)
- [HM Treasury: Budget 2025 (26 Nov 2025)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6929b353345e31ab14ecf735/E03444720_Budget_2025_Web_Accessible.pdf)
- [National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Act 2025](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/11)
- [Finance Act 2026 (main, dividend, savings and property income rates)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/11/contents)

## Checks

- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 6 October 2026; human editor review to come.

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