Theresa May and Philip Hammond largely ignored the plight of taxpayers (Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
The National Health Service got a huge increase to its budget and boosts were given to policing and defence too. But taxpayers - who have been paying down the deficit for nearly a decade - didn't benefit from the Chancellor's generous mood. VAT was increased from 17.5 percent to 20 percent but while spending increases have come back in fashion, cuts to tax have yet to follow. After a Brexit deal, the Chancellor said in his spring statement, taxpayers would get a look-in. Which begs the question: if Brexit negotiations fail to get over the line in October, as occurred in March and April, will we feel our wallets widen any time in the foreseeable future? Thankfully, the Tory leadership race has revealed some tax-cutting champions who see the merits of tackling the tax burden before (and regardless) of Brexit. But not all cuts are equal and households will fare differently if certain policies come into effect.
On Thursday, former foreign secretary Boris Johnson proved himself to be leading the leadership race, securing 114 votes on the first ballot. He is overwhelmingly popular with the grassroots as well, as poll after poll shows him to be the favourite of party members.
But his big tax pledge - increasing the threshold for the 40p rate from £50,000 to £80,000 - has been criticised as a cut for the rich and privileged.
It's estimated that more than three million people would get to keep more of their earnings, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand pounds per year, no small chunk of change.
But £50,000 is nearly double the average salary in the UK. So would the everyday man and woman feel the benefits of Mr Johnson's proposal? Certainly not overnight and possibly not ever. As people tend to move up the income scale over the course of their working lives, it is a cut that could benefit many workers down the road.
But it is not going to provide immediate relief for the majority of taxpayers, especially those on lower incomes.
There are plenty of good reasons to give a break to higher earners. After all, those who would benefit from Johnson's proposals are the same taxpayers who collectively pay nearly 60 percent of all income tax - certainly a "fair share" contribution to the Treasury.
But Mr Johnson could learn from his rivals, who are
