South West Herts MP David Gauke has accused those who are opposed to child benefit cuts for high-earners of being ‘fiscal nimbys’.
The treasury minister, who previously said it is ‘morally wrong’ to pay tradesman in cash in return for discounts, spoke out in an interview with The House magazine.
He said: “I think there’s a lot of people who are in favour of reducing the deficit but then when it’s something that affects them there can be a degree of fiscal nimbyism.
“The reality is that every section of society is having to make a contribution.”
Under new legislation, child benefit will be cut for households where one parent earns £50,000 or more and scrapped where one earns £60,000 or more.
That includes Mr Gauke, 41, who has three sons, earns £89,435 a year and once claimed £10,248.32 in MPs’ expenses for the stamp duty and other fees spent buying his second home in London.
MP Catherine McKinnell, Labour’s shadow exchequer secretary to the Treasury, said: “This is yet another example of how out of touch this Conservative-led government has become.
“Ministers shouldn’t be insulting parents or telling them to stop moaning about losing thousands of pounds in child benefit.
“What they should be doing is explaining how on earth it can be fair to cut child benefit from parents on £50,000 while people on over £150,000 are getting a tax cut.”