FTAdviser.com

Advertising

Income tax is top of the political agenda for one in three Britons particularly for the 18 to 24- year-old bracket., a survey by IFA search engine Unbiased has revealed,

When asked what their one message to chancellor Alistair Darling would be, 44 per cent of the 18 to 24-year-old group said a reduction in income tax, compared to 40 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds, 19 per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds and only 13 per cent of 65 to 74-year-olds.

David Elms, chief executive of Unbiased, said: "Our research shows just how much of a discussion point income tax is - and that is not just for the government but also for the average Brit. In the current economic climate people are taking a much closer look at their finances to make ends meet and it is not surprising that a reduction of income tax is one of the first areas people are asking for."

Overall, however, the biggest message those surveyed wanted to convey to Mr Darling was to provide a better level of state pension, with one in four Britons calling for this. After income tax and the state pension, increased pay for public sector workers, increased support for carers and raising the inheritance tax threshold to £750,000 were all important issues, yet only coveted 5 per cent to 6 per cent of those surveyed ranked this as their prime concern.

Mr Elms said: "The nation as a whole is wasting a whopping £9.3bn in unnecessary tax payments, from not making use of their Isa allowance to wasting tax credits and insufficient inheritance tax planning." He urged people to visit an IFA to lessen tax burdens.