Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith said he hopes to scrap at least one tax every budget if the Conservatives return to power, with the so-called "mansion tax" in his sights.

Speaking at the party's conference in Birmingham, Griffith said "lower, simpler and fairer taxes" would be his "personal north star" although he noted his ambition for cuts would take place "only when we can afford to do so".

He also said he would scrap the High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS), which takes effect from 2028 and introduces an extra levy for owners of properties in England valued at more than £2m.

Labour said the Tories "completely failed at every turn" to grow the economy during their 14 years in power.

Following their historic defeat in the 2024 general election, the Conservatives have been trying to rebuild and convince voters that they can be trusted again.

The Tories have faced repeated attacks from their opponents for their record in government between 2010 and 2024.

Speaking on the main stage, Griffith said: "No country in history has ever taxed its way to prosperity, so we will cut taxes, but only when we can afford to do so, and always saying clearly how we will fund that within our golden economic rule."

The party's "golden economic rule" involves at least half of all savings identified going towards "deficit reduction, with the other half going to tax cuts and pro-growth measures".

Griffith likened his approach to that of former Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson, adding: "It's my ambition to scrap at least one tax every budget. What would we prioritise? There's a lot.

"Tax cuts that help growth, tax cuts that improve incentives to work, tax cuts that make life simpler and fairer."

The Extended Packaging Responsibility (EPR) scheme, which requires firms to cover the cost of collecting, recycling and disposing of packaging it produces, would be scrapped by the Conservatives.

Griffith sought to signal a different approach under Kemi Badenoch's leadership, telling members that the EPR was the "sort of thing the old Conservative Party went along with".

He also said Labour plans a "vindicative raid on family homes" in the form of the HVCTS, also dubbed the "mansion tax", which he would seek to scrap.

The shadow chancellor said: "It's an anti-growth tax that will distort the housing market and remove the incentive to make home improvements."

Ahead of his speech, Griffith was pressed on BBC Breakfast on whether he would keep the pensions triple lock, which Prime Minister Andy Burnham has proposed changing.

In 2021, then-backbencher Griffith wrote an article saying that the state pension triple lock was "unfair" as pensioners could "gain from the misfortune of others".

Senior Conservatives including former chancellor Jeremy Hunt and shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat have individually suggested the current triple lock is unsustainable.

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During a series of speeches on Monday, Griffith and other shadow ministers also announced further details on the policies they believe will help free up businesses and grow the economy.

The proposals included ditching environmental and energy efficiency regulations, such as the future homes standard.

Griffith said the next Conservative government would support a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Plans for expansion were scrapped by the Tory-led coalition government in 2010.

The Conservatives also want to implement a single levy for developers in place of section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy, which fund projects in the community when building plans are progressed.

The party has been critical of the roles of Natural England and the Environment Agency in relation to house building and flood prevention work respectively, and wants to abolish both. Their functions would be looked after by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy, whose union represents members in Natural England and the Environment Agency, said: "Conservative budget cuts have left these regulators struggling to perform their vital functions with 'lack of resources' the most common reason for planning delays.

"The solution is to restore their funding to adequate levels, not scrap vital safeguards."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the Conservatives have "cemented their position as a pointless anti-growth, anti-business party" by rejecting closer ties with Europe.

She added: "No-one can take anything the Conservatives say on the economy seriously given their litany of fantasy-land financial pledges."

Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said: "The Tories had 14 years in government to grow our economy and help people get on the housing ladder, but they completely failed at every turn."

Chancellor John Healey last week said all promises the government made would be "built on the rock of fiscal discipline" and the Budget on 28 October would "give families and businesses a bit of breathing space".

Reform UK economy spokesman Robert Jenrick accused the Conservatives of "once again copying our policies".

He added the Tories were unable to match Reform's pledge to raise the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000.

Green Party MP Ellie Chowns said scrapping rules that "secure affordable homes and vital community infrastructure is not a plan for growth".

She added: "It is a gift to developers, leaving communities to pick up the bill for new housing while handing ordinary people higher costs and fewer protections."

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