Hi Lee
I took mine out using a pair of small snips / wire cutter type pliers as i found normal normal pliers too blunt.
I also came at it from the top of the tap and used the rim as a leverage point
Also make sure the pins are in the centre, ie twist the tap left to right and centralised the pins.
Once you have them out you will find they come out a lot easier after that
Mark munro as a video on you tube on the subject if that helps