What cuts are you prepared to personally suffer to repay the deficit?

carolt

Obviously, everyone is very keen for the deficit to be repaid.

But how to do this?

Most people's preferred solutions involve taking money off other people who they believe get too much - I got a lot of stick today for my attack on the child benefit changes, but almost entirely from the childless, funnily enough - ie those with no experience of the costs of bringing up children, and who themselves would not be affected.

So, I'd like others to post about which cuts in benefits or raises in taxes they'd personally like to experience to help out, or services they currently rely on they would like axed to pay for the deficit, just so we know they're not all a load of hypocrites.

People who have emigrated to the other side of the world and so are not of course going to be affected by any cuts here should tell us to the £ how much money they personally will be posting back to the UK Treasury in a big brown envelope, just to help.

Right.

So what will it be?

Do you prefer:

removal of SMI
raising of interest rates
further reductions in housing benefit rates
rise in income tax
rise in capital gains tax
new property taxes
rise in VAT
rise in fuel taxes

etc etc?

Do tell us all how YOU are going to help, personally.

mbga9pgf

All of it. Until the deficit turns into a surplus. I think sme needs direct funding from government loans too. They need to focus more on cuts and less on taxation though

carolt

So you'd like all services cut, or which specific ones?

And which taxes raised?

Wookster

Jees, I've had a 40% pay cut.

I have private health insurance, never claimed benefits and am perfectly capable of ensuring I have all I need, live within my means and am not beholden on anyone, least of all the state to provide for me so by all means cut.

Its far more important that the deficit is brought under control then say I can see a free dentist.

What I cannot understand is why isn't the winter fuel allowance means tested? We're talking a few billion there I think. And before we hear any comments about toff Tories, that policy was brought in by a labour government.

carolt

Not answering the question as usual.

We all know you want others to suffer.

How are YOU personally prepared to contribute, aptly-named Ghoul?

Or do you just want to leech off all oursacrifices?

No - time you told us what cuts you wish to suffer.

vivatifosi

If its about cuts that affect us personally, I'm expecting not to get a pay rise in the library service. Which sounds infinitely better as an option than no job. If I lost my job that would be really tough, if I lost the rate of inflation less so, so I'll vote for that. I don't get any tax credits or cbs so I don't have a lot of benefits to select from.

My personal red line that I hope isn't crossed, would be playing with the tax regimes on small business. Over the time Labour was in government this became less and less favourable and I think further tinkering would be counter productive.

carolt

Wookster wrote: »

Jees, I've had a 40% pay cut.

I have private health insurance, never claimed benefits and am perfectly capable of ensuring I have all I need, live within my means and am not beholden on anyone, least of all the state to provide for me so by all means cut.

Its far more important that the deficit is brought under control then say I can see a free dentist.

What I cannot understand is why isn't the winter fuel allowance means tested? We're talking a few billion there I think. And before we hear any comments about toff Tories, that policy was brought in by a labour government.

Didn't know you were that old, Wookster.

Winter fuel payments?

Or is this another case of 'I want someone else to suffer, not me'.

So no-one has yet specified what they personally wish to pay towards the deficit.


How strange...

Edit: With exception of viva.

mbga9pgf

100% cuts to
Numerous useless quangos
Overseas aid
OFSTED

30-40% cuts to

Local government
National Government (whitehall)



20% cuts to:

NHS (back office admin/COTS solutions for IT infrastructure sack the managers and re-introduce medical professionals managing the NHS )
Legal Protection
Defence/counterterrorism including scrapping trident. Use what we currently have.
Benefits/Pensions
Public sector pensions (including mine).
Police force
10% increase for:

Education
Purely focussed on: Re-establishing special needs schools
establishing Star pupil schools for the exceptionally gifted from all backgrounds, with class sizes not to exceed 18.
Free university scholarships for engineering (nuclear, aerospace and electronic in that order), medicine and extra cash for PHD research
Reduce univerity numbers by 80%.
reducing secondary class sizes to a maximum of 25 per class
Less money wasted on "designer" schools, schools focussing on sport (they can use local YMCA/Athletics facilities) more on low tech low cost solutions (portakabins if neccessary).

100 Billion in state funded SME investment for business asset purchase (machinery, office equipment, NC milling etc, tangiables rather than salary as secured loans).

Taxation.

Booze and Ciggys. Especially ciggys.
Raise basic rate threashold to 12K.
Lower top rate to 40K.
Abolish 50% rate. Its pointless and business is already working around it.
Tax on bank bonuses.
Tax on business personal expenses over 20K per annum.
Reduced taxation and VAT on high tech products in the UK.
Taxation friendly for high tech research in the UK.
Fuel price stabiliser Tax
Road usage Tax.

carolt

Cut in your pension?
OK, that'll do.

Not sure cuts in 'useless' quangos is much of a sacrifice, by definition...

chucky

i'd cut the massive defence budget - it's unnecessary

LilacPixie

Think child benefit cuts need to go further, i'd like a limit on the amount of children claimed for, ideally to 1. I would like NHS research budgets into terminal or severly debilitating illnesses ringfenced ( yes totally selfish). I think the whole tax system needs symplified and overhaulled with some effort to close tax avoidence loopholes.

Vat, fuel duty etc all needs to rise, undecided on income tax at the moment. Might not be popular but I would like benefit rates as a whole looked at so people who have to claim but are fit to work in some capacity have enough to live and sustain themselves but not enough to be reasonably comfortable and have luxuries.