Andy Burnham's tax-raising plans come as the burden on Britons reaches unprecedented levels of 38pc of GDP - Getty Last week, in unusually strong words, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) declared that UK government debt is on an "unsustainable and ever-rising path". Over the next few years, warned the official fiscal watchdog, Britain needs to raise taxes or cut spending by £120bn a year to prevent debt from spiralling even further.