Between them and other 40% and 50% rate taxpayers, the Government hopes to raise an extra £10bn in income tax in 2010-11. Which should restore some of the income lost during the last couple of years.

But it still won’t be enough.

“For all that they [rich people] individually give a lot, there really aren’t enough of them to make a huge difference to our fiscal deficit – to close it, we have to raise money from everyone, not just the rich,” said John Whiting, director of tax policy at the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

So only a hopeless optimist can expect anything less than big spending cuts and painful tax rises whoever wins tomorrow.

Happy days.