Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:47 pm on 15 June 2021.
Well, the Member will have to wait to see. As we said in our manifesto, it will depend on the circumstances. While the economy is recovering, there are no plans for this Government to raise taxes in Wales, because we know that the recovery depends on making sure there's effective demand in the pockets of Welsh citizens to go out there, spend money and help with the economic recovery—the economic recovery that is underway, Llywydd. There are encouraging figures out today on employment rates in Wales that demonstrate that that recovery is underway here.
What lies beyond the recovery can only sensibly be decided in the circumstances that we will face when we get there. The Member will understand that in the last 15 months we have gone through a period that none of us could have anticipated even 18 months ago, yet he invites me to make decisions today for what will happen years into this Senedd term. It's not a sensible thing to do and I won't be doing it.