"Taxes of Evil"

DiggerUK

We all have a dislike of taxation, but, like birth and death, it will always be a part of our lives.
What is your favourite all time choice for the award of "Most 'Ated Tax Ever" (M.A.T.E.)

So, come on, who's your best mate.

Generali

3rd place: dog licence (why have a tax of 30p or something that cost a tenner to collect?)
2nd place: Poll Tax
1st place: marginal tax rate on unearned income (eg interest) > 100% in the 1960s

ThrowingStonesAtYou

Graduate Tax (aka Student Loan)

vivatifosi

The removal of the 10p tax rate for the lowest earners. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Let's make it even harder for those who can be bothered to get up and go to work to earn less than £13k pa to do so.

Oh, and raiding pension schemes, leading to the death knell of final salary pensions in this country.

Now remind me, who was responsible for both of those...

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

3rd place: dog licence (why have a tax of 30p or something that cost a tenner to collect?)

Absolutely: it should be reinstated with a considerable fee. And more for unnuetered dogs.

Danstar_2

ThrowingStonesAtYou wrote: »

Graduate Tax (aka Student Loan)

Did you know the LibDems want to do away with Student Loans and replace them with a 'Graduate Tax'?

vivatifosi wrote: »

The removal of the 10p tax rate for the lowest earners. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Let's make it even harder for those who can be bothered to get up and go to work to earn less than £13k pa to do so.

Oh, and raiding pension schemes, leading to the death knell of final salary pensions in this country.

Now remind me, who was responsible for both of those...

Well said. There should be no tax on pensions, why bother to save up for when you're retired so you can live as you do at the end of your life after working hard and being successful if you can't reap the final salary rewards for it.

Generali wrote: »

3rd place: dog licence (why have a tax of 30p or something that cost a tenner to collect?)
2nd place: Poll Tax
1st place: marginal tax rate on unearned income (eg interest) > 100% in the 1960s

Poll Tax was very fair, it is a tax per adult in a house. What people didn't like was the hike (if they had one). It was essentially designed to make sure every person paid their fair share for local council services etc. If the tax was too high your council was spending too much money.

Rather than protest against the national government the protests should have been at the local governments being wasteful and, depending on which side you lean, giving out too much in housing allowances etc.

This, in the 1990's would have most probably seen Conservatives taking lots more councils cutting back spending, rolling back the state and people being more responsible and stopping the explosion of the 'welfare state' and 'underclass/benefit culture' that we now have.

Poll tax was so unpopular, obviously as people resented paying more tax, but for the wrong reasons. It was misunderstood.

Generali

Danstar wrote: »

Poll tax was so unpopular, obviously as people resented paying more tax, but for the wrong reasons. It was misunderstood.

Poll tax was resented as it was highly regressive.

ThrowingStonesAtYou

Danstar wrote: »

Did you know the LibDems want to do away with Student Loans and replace them with a 'Graduate Tax'?

I have to admit I don't pay much attention to the LibDems as I couldn't imagine ever wanting to vote for them.

How would this graduate tax be any different? Would it be a lifetime tax; interesting as a report came out the other day saying in a lifetime graduates only earn £100k more than non-grads. A lifetime tax may remove any incentive to go to uni at all.

DKLS

Personally it would be a toss up between Council tax and IR35.

macaque_2

One of my first jobs was working as an office assistant to a company importing clothes. I had my first month's pay on flat wages. In my second month I clocked up a respectable amount overtime. I could not wait for pay day and had already spent the extra money in my head.

I was very naieve about lots of things including taxes. When my payslip arrived I discovered to my horror that they had not only taxed my basic wage but had also taxed my overtime. I went to the boss and compained bitterly. I pointed out that my taxes had been paid for in my basic wage. So what the hell were they doing taking a second bite out of the apple by taxing my overtime? As the laughter in the office died away, so the seeds of my hatred in all tax systems was sown. I am pleased to say that it is hatred that has stayed with me for life.

lemonjelly

Any tax I pay that goes towards asylum seekers/chavs/single mums/the disabled/on education/the nhs/other people in non-jobs....;):D