UK Politics

[lost]

6 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

..or the fact that after years of austerity the country needs to face the fact that we need to put more money in to pay for it...and that means higher taxes.

Which we already have. The highest taxes in 80 years isn't it? As far as I can see if people don't feel they are getting those quality public services for the higher taxes they are paying they will probably think whats the point. 

[steviewevie]

6 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Now that media and others are talking about merging NI and Income Tax I have rethought my support for it.

Not only would pensioners be worse off as they do not pay NI but do pay Income Tax but in all the discussions not much if anything has been talked about on the Employers NI part.

If they merge the taxes, ie scrap NI, then businesses stop paying this but it is not replaced unless a new tax is added. Seems a great way to get business off the tax hook and put more on people already struggling....... like the Tories like to do.

Then you get the 'qualifying years' for State Pension, how would that work?

Don't get me wrong, I would like one simple tax but to get to that the entire system needs starting again otherwise if will create a right old mess and likely the poorest will take the burden.

Not sure they're talking about merging it, just totally binning it.

[Nobody Interesting]

3 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Not sure they're talking about merging it, just totally binning it.

Hunt used the word 'merge'

[steviewevie]

22 minutes ago, lost said:

Which we already have. The highest taxes in 80 years isn't it? As far as I can see if people don't feel they are getting those quality public services for the higher taxes they are paying they will probably think whats the point. 

because has been too low for too long...now we are closer to other similar sized european countries. Our economy has been kind of f**ked for a while...city of london kept us going until 2008 crash threw a spanner in the works...then low interest rates and rising house prices kept it bobbling along...but now the era of low interest rates and rapidly rising house prices seems to be over. Meanwhile Tory government thought cutting public investment would be a good idea, but it really wasn't. Then brexit. So, now we have an aging and sick population, public services that need more cash, low growth, a high amount of debt that costs more to fund...and somehow they think the answer is to cut taxes.

Edited March 7 by steviewevie

[lost]

7 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

because has been too low for too long...now we are closer to other similar sized european countries. Our economy has been kind of f**ked for a while...city of london kept us going until 2008 crash threw a spanner in the works...then low interest rates and rising house prices kept it bobbling along...but now the era of low interest rates and rapidly rising house prices seems to be over. Meanwhile Tory government thought cutting public investment would be a good idea, but it really wasn't. Then brexit. So, now we have an aging and sick population, public services that need more cash, low growth, a high amount of debt that costs more to fund...and somehow they think the answer is to cut taxes.

We also live in a time when a large number of jobs can be done from anywhere in the world via a laptop and from time to time I do dip into younger peoples pod casts and influencers and there definatley seems to be a digital nomad trend forming that nowadays you don't necessary stay in the country you were born.

Any government is going to have balance the needs of spending more on pensions and the NHS due to the aging population (on top of the debt interest payments of the 100% debt to gdp we've already run up) whilst still offering young people a reason to stay in this country and pay those taxes.

Edited March 7 by lost

[steviewevie]

2 minutes ago, lost said:

whilst still offering young people a reason to stay in this country and pay those taxes.

I guess brexit helps with that.

[lost]

1 minute ago, steviewevie said:

I guess brexit helps with that.

Still loads of visas that still very easy to get. Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Thailand, Vietnam, Bali etc..

[steviewevie]

Anyway parting gift for labour in the autumn could be an income tax and/or even removing NI altogether...and if course delaying spending review till next government. Scorched earth.

[Neil]

Need to keep an eye on Tories saying they want to end national insurance payments. Cos they'll also steal your pension.

[Neil]

Higher income tax instead of NI would be a fairer tax but would make the income tax rate very high.

[steviewevie]

6 minutes ago, Neil said:

Higher income tax instead of NI would be a fairer tax but would make the income tax rate very high.

Don't think that is the plan, just bin NI and then find £50bn/year to pay for it. Simple.

[Neil]

58 minutes ago, lost said:

We also live in a time when a large number of jobs can be done from anywhere in the world via a laptop and from time to time I do dip into younger peoples pod casts and influencers and there definatley seems to be a digital nomad trend forming that nowadays you don't necessary stay in the country you were born.

Any government is going to have balance the needs of spending more on pensions and the NHS due to the aging population (on top of the debt interest payments of the 100% debt to gdp we've already run up) whilst still offering young people a reason to stay in this country and pay those taxes.

I considered going abroad to run efestivals but wasn't feeling that adventurous.

cheap living costs would have been good but I'd still have to pay the mortgage here (which is a big expense). mostly I decided that I'd be loading the business with a new risk when the business struggled with the existing load.could have probably avoided a few taxes and been quids in.

[Neil]

13 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Don't think that is the plan, just bin NI and then find £50bn/year to pay for it. Simple.

its the tories who'll have an underhand plan probably to kill off the state pension.

[fraybentos1]

34 minutes ago, Neil said:

its the tories who'll have an underhand plan probably to kill off the state pension.

The Tories introduced the triple lock and their main  voter base is pensioners , why on earth would they want to kill it off

[steviewevie]

IFS doing loads of analysis on budget/obr this morning...thought this interesting with labour asking do you feel better off...

but I guess don't feel better off because of inflation, cost of living, everything is sh*t etc.

[steviewevie]

also that by end of Labour's first term (if they win), unless economy suddenly starts booming, things are going to still be pretty sh*t.

[lost]

Jeremy Hunt has been labeled the "Fiscal" Drag Queen by the beeb. Most seem aware taxes are still going up.

[steviewevie]

1 hour ago, Neil said:

its the tories who'll have an underhand plan probably to kill off the state pension.

this will be in many people's mind...which maybe why cutting NI isn't the big win they think it is...?

[steviewevie]

also...that pensioner vote...

[steviewevie]

[Nobody Interesting]

1 hour ago, steviewevie said:

Don't think that is the plan, just bin NI and then find £50bn/year to pay for it. Simple.

What about Employers NI. Ees and ERs combined is 171 billion

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

What about Employers NI. Ees and ERs combined is 171 billion

I am not sure if that is included in their plans...who knows, it's all pie in the sky bollocks and isn't happening.

[Neil]

1 hour ago, fraybentos1 said:

The Tories introduced the triple lock and their main  voter base is pensioners , why on earth would they want to kill it off

Why would they want to kill off the funding for state pensions which is NI I think most people think thats funds for the NHS, it's not it's funds for pensions and dole.

Edited March 7 by Neil

[fraybentos1]

36 minutes ago, Neil said:

Why would they want to kill off the funding for state pensions which is NI I think most people think thats funds for the NHS, it's not it's funds for pensions and dole.

Even if they did get rid of NI, that money is still going to come from elsewhere. They can't just get rid of tens of billions of tax revenue and not rejig things.

[fraybentos1]

1 hour ago, Nobody Interesting said:

What about Employers NI. Ees and ERs combined is 171 billion

It's only the employees bit he's talking about