By Keith Weir and Frank Prenesti

LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives called on Monday for taxes on savings to be scrapped for those with low incomes in the party's opening salvo of the New Year in its bid to show voters it can help them in an economic downturn.

The government has accused the Conservatives of having a "do nothing" attitude to recession and concerns over the Conservatives' ability to handle the economy have slashed the opposition's lead in opinion polls to just a few points.

The Conservatives enjoyed a more than 20 point lead over Labour over the summer -- which would have handed them an easy victory in a general election due by mid-2010 -- but the slide in opinion polls means the outcome is now too close to call.

"Labour can't hang on forever. Change is going to come -- I hope it's sooner rather than later -- but change is going to come," Conservative leader David Cameron said on Monday.

He called for the government to abolish the 20 percent tax on savings accounts paid by people on the basic rate of taxation. Higher earners would continue to pay up to 40 percent on their savings income.

Cameron also called for a rise of 2,000 pounds a year in the tax threshold for pensioners.

It was not immediately clear how much the move would cost, although newspapers estimate a tax cut on all savings income would hit government revenues by 2.4 billion pounds a year.

Cameron said the changes could be paid for by reducing government spending in the next financial year.