Rachel Reeves' tax tsar claimed pensioners have it 'ridiculously good' and said they should be taxed more

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves's new tax tsar previously called pensioners 'codgers' who had it 'ridiculously good'.

Sir Edward Troup, a former Tory Treasury special adviser, also said it was 'ridiculous' that pensioners received free TV licences and argued for them to be taxed more.

His comments emerged after Labour appointed him to its new expert panel on tackling tax avoidance earlier this month.

Appearing at a Resolution Foundation roundtable in 2019, Sir Edward called for increases to income tax, National Insurance contributions, VAT and corporation tax.

Advising politicians to raise taxes by stealth, the former special adviser to then Tory chancellor Lord Clarke warned that today's pensioners have 'had it ridiculously good'.

He said that it is a 'complete disgrace' that pensioners are not paying NIC, adding: 'I'm told I can't use the word codgers but, as I'm officially a codger, I think I will.

'We've benefited from low-interest rates, high inflation when we bought our houses, we've enjoyed good returns on whatever we've managed to put into our pension funds... and it's a complete disgrace.' 

He also argued that free TV licences should be handed to younger working families.

Sir Edward added: 'If anybody deserves a free licence to relieve them from the ghastliness of small babies... they're the ones who deserve it.'

Craig Tracey, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party and MP for North Warwickshire, said: 'It should come as no surprise that Labour's new tax tsar wants to slap working people with higher taxes.

'They will try to deny it, but Labour's billions in unfunded spending pledges can only mean one thing – taking us back to square one by hiking up taxes.

'Meanwhile, this Conservative Government are sticking to the plan and delivering a £900 tax-cut for working people.'