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Citizens Advice

The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.

Every Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity reliant on trained volunteers and funds to provide these vital services for local communities.

Citizens Advice service strategy 2008 - 2011 cover


Citizens Advice response to Treasury Committee report on consequences of the abolition of the starting rate of income tax

Teresa Perchard, Director of Public Policy, Citizens Advice said:

“We strongly support the recommendations in today’s report calling for the Government to do more to compensate the 1.1 million households who will continue to lose out from the abolition of the 10p tax rate, and in particular the call for future policy to ensure the original 5.3 million affected won’t lose out in future.

“The call to establish a Poverty Commission is also a welcome move. The need to identify the changes needed to put money in people’s pockets to pay their fuel bills next winter is all the more pressing during this period of economic adjustment where the cost of living is rising faster than levels of income and benefits.

“But we also want to see much more activity by the Government to dramatically increase the take-up of benefits and tax credits by families in low paid work. As much as £9.9 billion* of benefits went unclaimed in the financial year 2006/07, the most recent year for which figures are available. And every year Citizens Advice bureaux provide advice on nearly 3.5 million problems relating to welfare benefit, tax credit, and debt.”

*Source: Department for Work and Pensions:
(New window) www.dwp.gov.uk


Notes to editors:

  1. The Citizens Advice service is a network of independent charities that helps people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers.
    For more information in England and Wales www.citizensadvice.org.uk
    For more information and 2008/9 service statistics see Introduction to the service
    For 2008/9 service highlights see the Citizens Advice service impact report
    For 2008/9 social policy campaigning highlights see the Citizens Advice social policy impact report
  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
  3. Most Citizens Advice service staff are trained volunteers, working at over 3,300 locations across England and Wales.
  4. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2 million clients on 6 million problems from April 2008 to March 2009
  5. Advice and information www.adviceguide.org.uk
  6. Volunteer hotline 08451 264264 (local rate)
  7. Citizens Advice Guide to your rights, second edition: January 2008 - over 600 pages of practical, independent CAB advice. An invaluable resource for any bookshelf - available from all good bookshops; price £11.99; ISBN: 9780141034089
  8. Follow Citizens Advice on Twitter: (New window) twitter.com/CitizensAdvice
  9. Subscribe to Citizens Advice press releases via RSS news feed: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/pressoffice