Archbishop of Canterbury criticises tax cuts for the rich
The archbishop of Canterbury has delivered a critique of tax cuts for the wealthy saying he is “deeply sceptical” of trickle-down economics and could see “no moral case” for a government setting budgets that disproportionately affect the poor.
In an interview with the Guardian while on his tour of Australia, Justin Welby said that although he did not wish to be party political he could not see why the rich should be given more money, as they were more likely to simply save rather than spend the extra pounds.
When asked if he thought Liz Truss’s government should U-turn on its current policies, he said: “I don’t know if it’s U-turning … or rethinking. I think there’s lots of ways … There are lots of ways of addressing the problem.”
In the wide-ranging conversation, the archbishop also revealed how he had been “terrified” during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II with the eyes of the world on his every move.
And he affirmed his view that the church should be doing more to encourage followers to take direct action on climate change.
Welby is currently in Australia touring some of the areas most affected by climate change. It is the first tour by an archbishop of Canterbury in 75 years.
He has visited the northern New South Wales town of Lismore, which was ravaged by two consecutive floods in February and March, and is still struggling to recover.
At the weekend, he travelled to Thursday Island, where locals are dealing with rising sea levels, and is on Monday scheduled to ordain two Aboriginal women as priests during a visit to the community of Yarrabah, near Cairns.
But it is his views on the British economy which will be closely read in London as Truss fights for her political survival after a botched mini-budget that would have
Read more on theguardian.com
