What should be most heavily taxed? Poll discussion.

Former_MSE_Wendy

Will our new Chancellor be brave enough to change what the old one did? Who knows. Yet for a bit of fun, let's pretend you're Gordon's Darling and need to raise more tax. If it were in your power, which of the following would you raise?

A. Alchohol Tax
B. Cigarette Tax
C. Council Tax
D. Income Tax
E. Inheritence Tax
F. Petrol Tax
G. Stamp Duty
H. VAT


Please vote here or click reply to discuss.

johno777

Funny that most people agree that tax should rise on things they don't buy!

halia

petrol tax - anything else is irrelevant. We currently ignore many of the cost implications of burning fossil fuels, pollution from cars, the environmental costs of road building, car manufacturing etc etc.

But the biggest question is why we dont' have a fully transparent and democratic tax system.

Ie if our government thinks it needs more money for new missles or new hospitals it ought to present its books and ask the country (referendum) whether it can have more money and if so - where from.

It also ought to be banned from making major spending decisions/changes that have not been in a written manifesto

present a yearly accounts report

all parties to present as part of their manifesto a representation of where they will get taxes from and where they will spend them:
income: 20% from VAT, 30% from Income tax etc
spend: 10% on NHS, 10% on schools, 20% on governmental salaries, 10% on maintaining buckingham palace.
You vote for parties based at least partially on this pledge. (and see above, they aren't allowed to CHANGE it once they are in power without a referendum)

The government is the servant of the people, they have no 'right' to spend money without a clear mandate.

Aliss

Alcohol (and I buy a lot!) definitely.

It is ridiculously cheap. Wine and upmarket spirits are fairly reasonably priced but you can get three litres of 7% cider for about £3 where I live. Similarly with value spirits, a litre of vodka for £10. I'd rather pay an extra £1 per bottle of wine or spirit and not have inheritance tax or VAT! Though I suspect we'll end up with both!

Bargainetta

I have voted for VAT because a lot of the time we don't gain anything at all from having relatively low VAT compared with other European countries i.e. a new car - the VAT in the U.K. is 17.5% but it is around 40% in the Netherlands but in both countries the retail price is much the same. The motor manufacturers just take much more profit in the U.K.
However, I would like to see VAT removed entirely from some areas
1. take it away from redeveloping attractive older buildings because the current system encourages companies to knock them down and replace with new units fit only for pygmies.
2. there shouldn't be VAT on tampons - any woman will tell you that they are most certainly NOT a luxury and the current tax on them unjustly discriminates against my gender and my gender alone. I am surprised that this tax doesn't actually break the law.

BethanL

Definitely alcohol.

And yes, you're right johno777, it is something I don't buy. But then, I don't buy cigarettes or petrol either.

In terms of the cost to the public surely alcohol costs us the most. It fills up hospital A&E every Saturday night in addition to the long term health damage it causes, it doubles the work of the police and I reckon it also contributes hugely to relationship breakdonw and the associated social costs.

Now I'm foaming at the mouth like a good Welsh methodist - Drink is the work of the Devil!!!

Mics_chick

Cigarettes coz smokers are used to paying high prices and it still doesn't put them off doing it

jellybean13

Tax fuel and it is spread evenly.
Tax tobacco and the poorest section of society suffers.
We keep getting told that smoking related illness costs the NHS £1.7 billion.
The figure that is not quoted is the tax taken on tobacco is £30 BILLION
per annum. That would pay for private room in hospital for all the ill smokers.

Hermione54

the tax taken on tobacco is £30 BILLION

Actually it's about 9 billion

webwiz

The tax on all fossil fuels should be dramatically increased - I am talking about trebling the cost at least - BUT people should be given the money to pay the higher prices. Hopefully people would cut back on usage and spend the money on something else. The extra money would come from cutting other taxes, particularly income tax and council tax. Ideally it would be calculated so that everyone was no better or worse off overall.

astephens

Income tax for the rich-I agree with Al Mac-up to 75%. When I was working I was just into the 40% bracket, yet the likes of Elton John and David Beckham still only pay 40% on their millions.