Doubling up...

Very detailed post by Oliver Kamm about spending plans. I don't agree with everything he says - some I think is overly critical of the LibDems (shock, horror!).

What has struck me though is the futility of raising national level of income tax to 50% though for earners over 100k. Matthew Taylor, Charles Kennedy and Oliver all seem to agree that the LibDem spending commitments are about 3 billion on pensions and university fees, with the residue of the some 4.7 billion collected going to reducing the level of tax collected locally. But if we get a local income tax, as suggested by the LibDems, why do we need to collect this nationally and have central government hand it down? Wouldn't it be better to keep the national rate lower and devolve decisions about tax-collecting powers downwards?