The £10,000 refugee tax must be scrapped | Letters

Such a punitive measure will leave people at risk of exploitation and severe poverty, says Mark Joselin of the Refugee Council

Cabinet ministers are right to be worried about the potential impact of the new asylum bill (Mahmood infuriates fellow ministers by failing to reveal impact of UK migration shake-up, 30 October) . The proposed refugee tax unfairly punishes refugees by threatening to slap most with a £10,000 tax once they are granted refugee status, a clear breach of the UN refugee convention.

It is aimed at those who arrived with nothing and were not allowed to work while their claims were being assessed, and it ignores the reality that refugees already contribute through the tax system.

Requiring these refugees to pay an extra tax of £10,000 will leave them at risk of exploitation and severe poverty, with some risking homelessness to avoid becoming liable for the tax. It will also damage work incentives and undermine integration, making it harder for people who have fled war and persecution to rebuild their lives. And it undermines progress that the government is making on poverty, community cohesion and homelessness.

We urge readers to support the Refugee Council’s campaign on this vital issue. Mark Joselin Public affairs adviser, Refugee Council