Pensioners pile pressure on Reeves

RACHEL Reeves is under growing pressure to stop pensioners from being dragged into the taxman's net.

- Katie Harris

More than 20,000 people have signed a petition by Silver Voices demanding that the Government takes action to ensure the state pension is not taxed.

The campaign group warned OAPs whose only income is the state pension are at risk of having to pay income tax due to triple lock increases and frozen thresholds.

It is calling for the tax-free personal allowance for pensioners to be raised by £1,000 next month, then in line with the triple lock going forward.

Silver Voices director Dennis Reed said: "Because of the Silver Voices/Daily Express campaign it was was impossible for the government of the day to scrap the vital triple lock, but now Labour is intending to erode it by stealth.

"If the frozen tax threshold is continued, or even extended in the spring statement, triple lock increases will become taxed for most pensioners, reducing its value by 20% at a stroke. Rachel Reeves must act urgently to keep Labour's manifesto promise on the triple lock." Labour pledged to maintain the triple lock - which sees the state pension go up each year by whichever is highest out of 2.5%, inflation, or average earnings growth - in its election manifesto.

The petition comes ahead of the Chancellor's spring statement on March 26.