Rachel Reeves should shift the tax burden away from workers and onto those who take most from the state: our pensioners. This morning they’ve recommended increasing income tax by 2 pence on the pound while cutting employee national insurance (NI) contributions by the same amount. Because no one (above the tax-free allowance) is immune from income tax, this would mean £6 billion is raised without an increase in the tax bill for those whose sole income comes from salaried employment. Raising income tax might plug holes now, but in the long term it’ll drag growth slower still, reduce future tax takes and create new fiscal holes in the future. Soon enough we’ll discover whether Reeves prioritises the survival of her promises, or the survival of Britain’s public finances.