"The Chancellor needs to give taxpayers the break they deserve and reduce income tax at the Budget"

JEREMY Hunt might have less cash in the coffers than expected but he still has enough to give taxpayers "the break they deserve", experts said yesterday.

- Martyn Brown

And they urged the Chancellor to cut the rate of income tax in his Budget on March 6.

Latest figures show the Government racked up a record surplus last month. The public sector was a healthy £16.7billion in the black a surplus of more than double what it was a year ago and the largest since records began in 1993.

The bumper haul was driven by a huge tax take and falling interest costs on debt.

However, it was lower than the £18.5billion surplus pencilled in by most economists.

Some analysts said this leaves Mr Hunt with less headroom to deliver tax giveaways on March 6, in what is set to be a crucial event for the Government.

The Daily Express exclusively revealed earlier this month that he is considering taking an extra penny off National Insurance.

But the Taxpayers' Alliance said the Chancellor should go further because he has enough wiggleroom to cut income tax to ease the squeeze on millions of households.