The level of tax people face is too high considering the country is in a recession, it has been suggested.

With redundancies, pay cuts and freezes in place, the last thing people need is an increased tax burden, suggested Mark Wallace, campaign director for the Taxpayers’ Alliance.

"It would be far more efficient to stimulate the economy by reducing the tax burden and leaving the money in people’s pockets in the first place," he continued.

Mr Wallace strongly opposed government proposals to increase council tax, stressing that more needs to be done to reduce people’s bills.

"People have seen their council tax bill more than double in the last decade," the campaign director said.

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, a larger proportion of women than men receive less than the full basic state pension (BSP), currently worth £95.25 per week.

In September 2008, 34 per cent of female pensioners received 60 per cent of full BSP or less, compared with two per cent of male pensioners.