'Do you think you get good value from paying tax?' poll discussion

James129

I pay in much more than recieve. My income is around 35500 so I pay 20% tax and 11% NI.

Infact I have no recourse to public funds as I am from States and been here since 2007.

mayfly1

'Tax Freedom Day' is now estimated as May 30th. That is five full months of every year that we work just to pay the government.
By ANY civilised standards that is a disgrace. It would be bad enough if we had an efficient and fair society, but when we witness how consecutive Governments pour £Billions of our money down the drain through incompetence, stupidity, hairbrained schemes, and illegal wars, it is even more outrageous.
If our government were a commercial company, charging us for services provided, they would be investigated for profiteering and breach of contract.
We could save £6.5 Billion at a stroke by quitting that corrupt, inefficient, bottomless money pit - Europe.

12bdebt3

My wage is about £1,250 a month.
I pay somewhere around £220 income tax.
I pay £45 in national insurance contributions.
I pay £75 a month council tax.
In the 3 main pure taxes and not addition to purchases like VAT etc. I pay about a quarter of my wage out.

The main thing that I receive for my £340 a month is that the council take my rubbish away. Over Christmas this service has been attrocious and my 2 recycling bins are overflowing.

The police. Absolutely useless. I have been attacked, I phone the police who said they would turn up to where my attackers were (I spotted them, they were outside a shop) and they never turned up. They decided to turn up to my house 3 days later to take a statement. A friend of mine was dealing with an assault case and they lost some evidence and statements of witnesses which caused the case to sort of fail before trying to take it to court.

The hospital. I went in with a perennial absess and came out with MRSA, need I say more?

The fire service. I have had no dealings with them and hope I never do, I can't comment on them but I am sure they would be very useful if needed.

I have had a look what my local council pays for with the council tax I pay out. If I found them all useful then it would be great value for money. They could probably cut 90% of those costs and nobody in my city would notice the difference at all.

I pay far too much tax to what I have received back and if I ever lost my job I don't think that I could depend on the welfare system to financially help me in the way that I've financially helped it.

Harry_Flashman

It seems to me that there are 'givers' and 'takers'.

Givers are those who work and pay their taxes. Takers are the spongers who don't. (A sweeping generalisation - but I'm sure you catch my drift).

I work, drive, drink and smoke - I'm screwed regularly every day by an innefficient government that does very little for me or my family.

Basic services (police, fire, refuse, etc) are fine for taxation. I'd much rather pay insurance for things I 'might' need.

Clarie_2

As an employee of the NHS, then I'm definitely one of the great receivers. No matter how much tax I pay, I always have some money left over to do with what I like (pay rent, buy food etc).

hermanmunster_3

I'm an NHS employee too but deffo pay out far, far more than I receive.

lgs6753

This is not what the Americans call "a zero sum game". In other words, the Government does not "give out" as much as it takes in. Setting aside Government borrowing, a great deal of what we pay in taxes does not find its way back to us in the form of services or benefits, but goes to pay for the administration of the tax system, benefits system, and other Government activities.
On the whole therefore, far more people make a net contribution than gain a net benefit. The difference is in bureaucracy, which is a shocking waste of our resources.
If (say) the NHS was run by a private company, that company would make a profit, supplying services that cost less than the revenue it receives. As things stand, the NHS doesn't make a profit, but is instead burdened by the enormous inefficiency of its bureaucracy, together with the Government departments that regulate it.
The way out of our economic problems is simply for Government, local and national, to do less. Not try and cut existing services, but to either discontinue them, or sell them off.
I suggest we don't need a nationalised health service, we don't need state-run ambulance and fire services, we don't need local authorities meddling in education, we don't need local and national government officials telling us what is "best" for us, we don't need land and property being owned by government, we need to be freed from the tyranny of the public sector, and their friends in the unions.
If all of these services were delivered by private companies, people could subscribe to whatever services they want, and the (much slimmed-down) tax system could fund those who would otherwise suffer.
Welfarism/socialism has utterly failed, and our current economic problems are the result of Bliar/Brown and their predecessors thinking that they know best what is good for us. They have been completely wrong, and their ideas are discredited.
Power to the people!

carmen_sm8

I voted for 'about the same' - not because I sit on the fence but because having looked at emigrating and seeing the cost of private healthcare, insurances and other things we take for granted in this country, I think I do get a fair deal! I'll admit that when I was working silly hours and having nearly half my paypacket swiped off me, I grumbled - who wouldn't - but then I have to put my hands up and accept that I have now had two lovely children and stayed at home and I suppose I still receive the same amount of 'services' whilst not earning that I did when I was 'contributing'.

Funny thing though as I never could claim for any benefits though whilst I chose to stay at home to bring up my children! So scrimping now on everything because there is no additional help.... hmmm perhaps I am now changing my mind! Ha ha! maybe I should have put in that I overpaid all those years of working, given the little support I get as a stay at home mum!

But nevertheless, NHS, Libraries, council provisions, police, fire etc... you can't argue that these are not taken for granted sometimes ! :0)

Freddie_Snowbits

Thirty years ago, rates was low and we had only one bin collection.

Today we have three bin collections, normal, pigswill and the recycle inspectorate. And a collection of diversity officials whom say we live in such a harmonious land.

metalgal

i picked i receive much more than i put it. my husband works full time and i'm a full time student and we have a daughter of 18months. we receive student grants, ctc, wtc, cb. Plus my daughter and i have regular medication and hospital appointments, also had c/s with daughter and three days in hospital afterwards. thnakfully have never needed emergency services, but my sister has needed an ambulance many times.

my end career goal is to be working as a prosecutor so i think that the govt supporting me and my family for the next while will be worth it in the end.