One of the reasons I joined the Liberal Democrats was their views on taxation. The tax system had gotten increasingly unfair under successive governments over the last few decades, sucking more and more people into paying Income Tax.

That is why the Liberal Democrats did the right thing and made rebalancing the tax system a priority, putting it on the front page of our manifesto. On Friday 6 April, the Income Tax threshold was raised for the second year in a row. In Northamptonshire, that means that 11,300 people have been lifted out of paying Income tax all together and 304,300 basic-rate taxpayers have received a £130 tax cut.

Next year the Income Tax threshold will rise again, increasing the tax cut to £45 a month and this will continue until we’ve reached a Personal Allowance of £10,000. This means someone working full-time on the minimum wage will have had their Income Tax bill halved.

At the same time, Liberal Democrats are making sure the rich pay their fair share, by closing loopholes, introducing a tycoon tax and cracking down on tax avoidance. As we clean up the economic mess Labour left behind, it is right than the broadest shoulders bear the heaviest burdens. That is also why every Liberal Democrat-run council in England has frozen Council Tax, unlike Labour and the Tories.

Liberal Democrats work hard in local communities, listening to people’s concerns and issues. We have now shown that we can make a difference nationally by correcting an unfair tax system.