Tax the poor - not the rich

Rochdale_Pioneers

I have a brilliant idea. Build giant wheels on the side of rich people's mansions. Get the unemployed to walk round in the wheel all day, generating electricity so that the rich man doesn't need to buy any. Frees up need to supply the grid so solves some of our energy problems. AND it keeps the poor in a job!

lostinrates

Rochdale_Pioneers wrote: »

AND it keeps the poor in a job!

But my hamster will be on the dole.

hubba

The_White_Horse wrote: »

There are far more poor people, so we should take more of their money. plus more punitive rates will encourage people to earn more.

It should be:

0-10,000 = 60%

10k - 25k = 40%

25k - 50k = 20%

50k + = 10%

much fairer. and lets face it, the poor use most of theservices provided by our taxes.

Plus, private medical and private school fees should be tax deductible. There are 4000 kids without school places in London this year! If parents didn't send children private, this would be 20-30000 kids without school.

In any case, it is pure discrimination to charge people a higher rate as they earn more. why not charge men more, or blondes more, or black people more?? because it is discrimination.

There should be one rate of tax, at 25% and someone earning 10k will pay 2.5k and someone on 100k will pay 25k. That is fair. that is the only fair way.

sounds like youd rather be living in a communist state pretty obvious your one of the ones earning over 99k otherwise you wouldnt be so bothered

technik_2

Tax everyone the same percentage.

baby_boomer

The OP is out of date.

Many of the poor are ALREADY effectively taxed at 70% rather than 60% on each additional £ of income - because benefits are taken away from them as fast as they earn.

We need an overhaul of the entire tax and benefits system - but after watching one of the most cowardly political budget for decades, which party is ever going to do this? You just end up creating long term political enemies of the people you make worse off.

mewbie_2

It's always income tax isn't it? People talk about 40% as though that were the whole story. It isn't.

Income tax.
N.I.
Fuel tax.
Council tax.
Tax on investments.
VAT.
Road Fund Licence.
TV Licence.
Prescription Charges.
Smoking, Drinking.

Please fill in any I have missed, I am surprised I have money at all that Mr. Brown allows me to keep.

baby_boomer

It's the VAT on the fuel tax that lights my fire.

Pigmyhippo

The fact is that if you are earning over £100k per year. you will already have substantially more disposable income left after paying necessary bills such as energy, water rates, fuel. If you want a flat rate tax and disagree with the richer in society paying more, then how about making energy/council tax/food prices proportional to the amount someone earns.

e.g 10000 pa earnings
25% taxes = £2500
10% energy bill = £1000
20% food bill = £2000
etc

100000 pa earnings
25% tax = £25000
10% energy bill = £10000
20% food bill = £20000
etc

At the moment the 'poor' as the op refers to them spend a proportionately higher amount of their income on the essentials than a richer person does. If it can be discrimination against the rich for taxing them more, surely by the OP's logic it is discrimination against the poor expecting them to pay a higher percentage of their income to pay for basic essentials.

Of course, I don't think this way at all and the way I see it is that I am happy to pay more tax on my earnings when they reach a trigger point, because that means I have achieved a more comfortable standard of living for myself and my family.
I would like to see the way the tax that we pay distributed a lot differently, but that is a whole other topic!

cepheus

Of course these taxes pay for 'free' health care and education amongst other public services, perhaps people should be allowed a reduction in tax in return for paying for private heathcare and education?

treliac

How many of us, personally, ever reach the point where we think we've earned enough? It's the mindset that's blighted us for the past couple of decades.

The 150k+ lot will find 'creative' accountants to let them off the hook, as usual.

Money will always make money. :rolleyes: