Union wants tax rise on rich

Bickerstaffe wants reform of the tax system

The UK's biggest trade union, Unison, wants tax increases on the better off to pay for better public services and to tackle poverty.

Unison general secretary Rodney Bickerstaffe told BBC Radio that he would like to see a new tax rate of 50% on earnings of more than £100,000.

Mr Bickerstaffe, who will repeat that call at his union's annual conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday, said he wanted low-paid workers to be taken out of the tax regime altogether or to pay a greater proportion at the 10p level.

"If we get taxation right we can spend more money on key public services," he said.

His comments came as the United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef, reported that Britain ranked 20th out of 23 countries in the developed world in terms of relative poverty.

Mr Bickerstaffe, whose union represents public sector workers, said Unison also wanted to see a rise in the national minimum wage to £5 an hour.

"We are hoping that Gordon Brown and the Prime Minister will be bolder in the future," he said.

Mr Bickerstaffe is to step down as Unison leader at the end of the year. He will be replaced by Dave Prentis, currently deputy general secretary.