More, Mr Hunt

FOR too long Sun readers have been taxed to the max. Finally the Chancellor has eased the pain.

So we applaud Jeremy Hunt’s mini-Budget. He will need much more of the same come spring.

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The National Insurance cut from 12 per cent to ten is a terrific income boost for average earners.

Welcome too is the reform of NI rules for self-employed White Van Men, ­saving them a decent chunk.

The living wage, meanwhile, will rise nearly ten per cent and pensions 8.5 per cent.

With inflation down now to 4.6 per cent, those increases should not be sniffed at.

Alcohol duty is frozen till next August — a fantastic victory for The Sun and our Save Our Sups campaign, as Mr Hunt acknowledged in the Commons.

And there was more cheering news for pubs as he froze their business rate ­discount for another year. That should keep some from closing.

To our delight the Chancellor announced permanent “full expensing”, which we also called for.

That lets firms write off investments in tech, machinery and more against tax and is a key to the growth boost Britain badly needs.

Mr Hunt called it the biggest business tax cut in modern history.

Great . . . except the Tories foolishly hiked corporation tax from 19p to 25p only last year.

Despite Labour’s squeals, the public will cheer the clampdown on fit and able benefit claimants who prefer dole to work.

But it’s rich to claim the Tories alone prioritise “unlocking the potential” of home-grown workers over migrants when our net immigration total is north of 600,000 a year.

And let’s be realistic. Mr Hunt can cut taxes only thanks to slightly improved finances and because levels are already so eye-wateringly high.

What’s more, that overall burden is set to CLIMB — to the highest level since World War Two.

Because keeping income tax thresholds frozen, despite wage inflation, will extract far more from us over the next few years than we got back today.

Not to mention hammering aspirational middle earners by classing them as “rich” and taking such a hefty bite out of any pay rise.

Will voters look again at the Tories as the low-tax party?

For all Mr Hunt’s efforts, they will need a lot more convincing.

Grim mission

THERE can be no peaceful solution for Israel and Palestine which involves Hamas.

The terror outfit has sworn to annihilate all Jews.

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It has openly vowed to carry out further monstrous atrocities, again and again. There is no negotiating with that.

So while everyone should welcome the likely freeing of 50 Israeli hostages during the agreed pause in fighting, that can only be temporary.

This evil must be rooted out forever, for the sake of Israel and indeed Gaza too.