Fred Mackintosh hits out at Tax Credit Scandal

11.03.57am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 25th May 2007

South Edinburgh Liberal Democrat Campaigner Fred Mackintosh has hit out at the Gordon Brown's disgraceful tax credit record after the government published records showing they overpaid £1,400,0000 of tax credits to residents of the Edinburgh South Constituency.

The figures published by HM Revenue and Customs show that at the same time the Labour government failed to pay over 800 local families the tax credit awards they were entitled to. This amounted to a massive underpayment of £400,000 of desperately needed financial support.

Local campaigner Fred Mackintosh, said, "The government's record on tax credits here in south Edinburgh is a disgrace. They have presided over a tax credits fiasco that is of their own making.

"Not only have taxpayers in south Edinburgh lost out, but the government is now trying to claw back money from people on very low incomes - even when it was government mistakes which led to the errors. The government has overpaid residents of this area £1,400,000 and underpaid others £400,000.

"The Labour government's shambolic tax credit system leads to uncertainty for many families in the communities that make up south Edinburgh as they have no way of knowing what they will receive. I am campaigning for a simple system of fixed term awards of six months so that families know what they are getting and get what they are entitled to."