Polanski Proposes Radical Tax Hikes, Rent Controls

0:00On March 18, Zach Polansky, the Green Party leader, is calling for tougher taxes on oil and gas company profits today. In his first big speech on the economy, he wants to raise 8.4 billion pounds to help cover rising household energy bills. He says this would offset price hikes tied to tensions in the Middle East, pushing up global oil costs. Polansky blames excess profitering by energy firms during the crisis. He's also pushing for ring controls, nationalizing water companies, and making capital gains tax match income tax rates to ease living costs overall. Energy regulators predict the price cap could jump from 1,641 pounds to 1,827 pounds a year for typical homes soon. Critics are hitting back hard. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride called the ideas breathtakingly naïve, saying Polansky thinks money grows on trees with no fallout. Labor insists their plan focuses on stability, investment, and support for families without such drastic steps.

1:01New polls show mixed support. Only 43% of green voters back a wealth tax compared to 66% of labor ones. Another survey found his old job as a hypnotist, claiming to boost women's bus sizes, is turning people off, dropping potential green support from one. Third to just 16%. Ministers say they're ready to help household, but still weighing options as prices climb. Polansky's speech pushes for big changes to fix what he calls rip off Britain and build a fairer economy.