Danny Alexander: We are on course to deliver all four of our manifesto priorities

At the start of Budget week, Danny Alexander writes at Comment is Free that the coalition government is about more than balancing the books, but about enacting reform with a foundation of economic recovery.

He returns to the commander's intent of the Liberal Democrat General Election manifesto, restating its four key policies -

• · Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket
• · A fair chance for every child
• · A fair future, creating jobs by making Britain greener
• · A fair deal for you from politicians

- and appropriately for Budget week, majors on tax:

Liberal Democrats should be judged not only by how we deal with Labour's profligate legacy, but on how we deliver our own agenda. We may not have won the general election outright, but we are on course to deliver all four of our main priorities from our election manifesto. With a £2.5bn pupil premium, every child will get the chance for a fair start in life. The referendum on AV will give you a say in making MPs work harder for your vote. Investing in green jobs will not only support our economy, but will develop green technologies too.

And most importantly of all, this government will deliver a fair deal on taxes. Our ambition is that no one should pay any tax on the first £10,000 they earn. This will create a fairer country that helps those on lower incomes to help themselves. We took the first big step to get there last June, increasing the threshold by £1,000, from £6,475 under Labour to £7,475 this year. From next month, almost a million of the lowest paid won't pay any tax at all.

This change won't just help those earning less than £10,000. In fact, once you take all the coalition's personal tax changes into account, everyone earning under £35,000 will be better off.

Read the full article at the Guardian's Comment is Free.