What should be most heavily taxed? Poll discussion.

Uther

VAT ,

Because everyone uses the money they earn to buy stuff.
It should be minimized or eliminated on essential items and increased on luxuries as it was originally meant to be.

So If you use loopholes or deceit to declare less earnings than you really have, and therefore reduce income tax, then you still pay your fair share of the tax.

Smoking, - less and less revenue as more people stop.
Council Tax, - Already too high
Drinking, - I don't drink much so I don't have an opinion.
Income tax - the wealthiest avoid it.
Fuel - Would only be fair if public transport was a reasonable alternative.

referenda?

Bank of England 'Independence' at an operational level has proved a success.It is still under strategic control of the Chancellor eg the 3% letter.

Similarly the raising of taxes should be so split, eg the decision to spend and the method by which it is raised. The spending decision should be with ministers with an elected mandate, eg a business plan.

The raising of taxes should be done within a longterm conceptual and logical framework. The framework should encourage , simplicity,collectability,equity and betterment of individual and society. eg minimal disincentives to work or avoid or evade. A minimum rate of tax and a flat tax would remove the need for much avoidance eg so called 10% fat cats.

The day to day operational interference from politicians should cease.

Strategic goals should be defined, and then the funding should be chosen from the options given to the politicians within the agreed framework. Not ill thought out tinkering, work a plenty for tax lawyers.

I favour growing the economy and therefore tax cake and ensuring an internationally competitive amount of tax is paid for the betterment of society.

Yes to alcohol tax, Yes to cigarette tax, yes to petrol tax.Yes to income tax/vat if needed. Yes to minimum % inheritance tax take rule. No to council tax. Perhaps even a very minimal wealth tax for the non doms.

More referendums , less MP's etc and public deadweight, more logical discussion on the issues rather than party lines. Look at Switzerland and they are not even in the EU. The mouse that roars quietly.

beingjdc

I'm voting for inheritance tax. The best time for the Government to take my money off me is when I don't need it any more! The first quarter of a million is tax-free anyway, and nobody should need to inherit more than that.

stokes_2

Hello,

You may not know but in Saudi Arabia the King reduced the cost of petrol recently to- wait for it - 6 pence per litre for 91 octane and 8 pence per litre for 95 octane. If you multipy this out you can see how much your government and civil service rip you off.:T

stokes_2

Hello,

You may not know but in Saudi Arabia the King reduced the cost of petrol recently to- wait for it - 6 pence per litre for 91 octane and 8 pence per litre for 95 octane. If you multipy this out you can see how much your government and civil service rip you off.:T

bogtrotter_4

How about spending less instead of increasing tax on anything?

We are now one of the highest taxed countries and the experience of the 80's shows that reducing overall tax burden increases the tax take!

gwdhld

I think this is such big subject that it is impossible to answer. Trouble with raising tax on things like cigerettes and alcohol is that you penalise a section of society. And more importantly i think it would encourage most people to buy them from people in the local pub, which would create all sorts of problems in my opinion.
I was going to say Income tax but we need to encourage those who are able to work to do just that. I secured a decent paid job about 6 months ago and i am now in that bracket that earns to much for any support but not enough to enjoy. YOu are not always better off financially when you start working, not once you pay your child care etc.
I think the best way to raise money would be to do some cost cutting excersices. Reduce the management and cap the wage at the top. Reduce the amount of paperwork, duplication and beaurocracy. We could offer tax incentives if people recycled.

Anyway went off on a slight rant there!!!!
I am actually a happy person, im just a bit bitter that i have been left with large debt from university and this means that all of my time is spent begging and pleading with people to help and support me. When what i should be doing is putting all of my energy into developing my career whilst i am still enthusiastic enough to care.

Bye Bye

P.S this site is wonderful i now have money back from bank charges, i have applied fro childcare vouchers and now know where to buy my fuel. :money:
I

gb57

No-one seems to have mentioned that putting extra tax on fuel affects the cost of EVERYTHING (including food) that is transported by road - this affects the poorest the most.

Income tax seems to be the fairest way to go, BUT - the amount one can earn before tax kicks in should be very very much higher than at present. It is crazy that someone on £10k a year should be paying income tax, for example, and is a disincentive to going out to work for many, who are better off on benefits. I certainly don't think income tax should be any higher than at present until you start to get into the very well paid category (say over £100k), but rates should never be punitive. As someone has pointed out, people on good incomes, say £70k, actually do pay very large amounts of income tax and also national insurance.

As for knocking the self-employed, when I ran my own small business I paid National Insurance TWICE on my income - as an employee and as an employer, as well as Income Tax. The amount of money I paid to the taxman each month was almost as much as my take-home pay. I also collected VAT on behalf of the government. No doubt there are those who know how to rook the system, but not every small business person is doing it!

With regard to Inheritance Tax - someone says that no-one needs to inherit more than £250k - that assumes that you are an only child and get the lot when your parents die. I am not against the idea of this tax for the rich, but just what is "rich" nowadays? I grew up in a council flat, worked very hard to buy my own home, and when I die (if there is anything left) I would like to leave my money to friends and family who are struggling financially, not to the government. I have paid tax on my earnings, now pay it on my very modest pension, on the interest from my savings, etc etc, why should the goverment have any more when I die, simply because I own my home? Inheritance tax has become a tax on houseowners, not on the rich, which was the original intention. (Bear in mind that if you live on the outskirts of London a modest 3-bed semi can be "worth" £400k, so the amount of tax could be substantial)

Taxation needs to be fair, not a punishment for doing well. Sorting out the current benefits system would go a very long way to cutting public expenditure, and NO-ONE should ever get benefits unless they have been to work in this country and paid into the system (obviously exempt the disabled & children).

Oops, rant over. :rolleyes:

Nytram_2

Mics_chick wrote: »

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

Why does evr yone want higher tax on cigaretts, if the govenment had thier way and everyone gave up smoking in the country where do you think tax hypes are going to come from then? So give the smoker a break...Please.:T

Nytram_2

What about a TAX on Non smokers, Non drives, Non drinkers, Non tax payers, Non Flyer's, Non home owners, just think of the revenue the government would have then...get my drift.