Darling's New Year's Resolutions

Firstly, expense allowance arrangements for MP's with John Lewis to make any taxpayers' mouth water- allowances which would certainly not be accepted by HMRC for lesser mortals.

Next, the untenable situation whereby Gordon Brown in his pre-budget report had the audacity to freeze the pension's cap for five years, while continuing the arrangement whereby Government pensions are not even subject to the cap! This is no small thing, when any hard earned pension funds in excess of the cap are subject to tax at 55%.

Finally, we have SDLT Gate! Anyone who has moved house or bought any kind of property over the past 5 or 6 years knows the extent to which SDLT has increased. What is less known is that Ministers of the Crown are not liable to SDLT - unlike the rest of population? So if Gordon Brown or Alistair Darling move house or buy investment properties they pay no SDLT.

Has the time not now come for a concerted effort to be made by the general tax paying public on these tax-free perks which politicians receive that the rest of us do not!

Darling's resolution for 2009 should surely be "Equality of treatment for all under the tax system!"

The $64,000 question is however - Will the turkey's vote for Christmas?