The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )
- Thread starter rascal
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I'd go for a land value tax myself. It's got to have something going for it when both the Economist and Independent support it.
http://www.landvaluetax.org/what-is-lvt/
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/11/economist-explains-0
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...lution-is-clear-a-land-value-tax-9150510.html
Milk
Udderly delicious
Depends on what you define as "Ordinary Goods" as there is no VAT on food or children's clothes.
20% makes the maths easier though
We're at peak oil now. The Average American still uses 10 as much as the average chinese - that's not going to change. The Average Indian will also continue to increase his oil consumption. Note that it takes seven gallons of oil to make every car tyre. Oil is also used to make the dashboard and steering wheel and the handles for the screwdrivers in the tool kit in the boot, not to mention the driver's toothbrush and phone and the little plastic box he bought his cherry tomatoes in. Factor in this:
And we have a potentially catastrophic (i.e. society-threatening) economic collapse on our hands in your lifetime unless we adapt, mate.
So, for both environmental reasons and economic reasons, we need to face up to the idea that we need to ween ourselves of the black stuff, and soon.
We've been 'at peak oil' since about 1970. But even if we are, that doesn't mean we're going to run out any time soon.
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roydo
in memoriam - 1965-2024
It doesnt work though.
So there is little point. We are pretty near the point where the current tax rates actually maximise the amounts that can be raised. Raise the higher rates, bask in the adulation of your audience, then watch tax revenues actually fall.
Or you could impose higher rates of tax on folk earning less........Good luck with one.
Incidently, it is also why Gordon Brown didnt raise the top rate to 50% till the end of his government, pretty much.
He knew it didnt collect anything, but has allowed his party to shout "Tax cuts for millionaires" for the last 5 years.
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Mrk
Player Valuation: £40m
Do you have a link to this? I've never seen him suggest he wants state spending to be < 25% of GDP.
The biggest joke is the way Gideon Osborne, and the Tories compare how well we are doing with 1 percent growth in five years of Government to there's of Europe which is in meltdown!
They blame Labour for the financial crash, even when Labour was in Government in 2010 - Growth was at 4 percent under Alister Downing - the Tories picture a picture of EM being in the SNP top pocket yet the two faced sods did the same thing with the Lib Dems - no one voted for that Coalition in 2010 - TBF to the Lib Dems. They have partly stopped the Tory cuts being worse, but they will pay the price!
They blame Labour for the financial crash, even when Labour was in Government in 2010 - Growth was at 4 percent under Alister Downing - the Tories picture a picture of EM being in the SNP top pocket yet the two faced sods did the same thing with the Lib Dems - no one voted for that Coalition in 2010 - TBF to the Lib Dems. They have partly stopped the Tory cuts being worse, but they will pay the price!
Clint Planet
Utter Cad.
Okay, mate. X
Just showing your failure to grasp basic economics really.
Clint Planet
Utter Cad.
I got an A in my A Level. Of course, A Levels were worth something in my day.
Thanks for trying though, mate.
x
Seanjd
Player Valuation: £30m
Well, Denmark and Finland, just to name two examples, tax their highest earners over 60%. Portugal and Spain are both in the high 50's. Why exactly could this not work here?
Where do you get those figures from? Everything I can find online suggests the top rate of income tax in Finland is 32%. Even in Denmark, that 57% figure is only once both local taxes and healthcare taxes are taken into account. I'm sure if you did that with British taxes (ie adding national insurance and council tax), then our own top rate would not be far off those levels already.
Would a more suitable example be France, with their 75% top rate of tax? They're a similar size country, similar culture etc.
Not only did the economy not grow, but tax revenues also fell, which is logical if you think about it, as keeping just 25% of what you earn would make it much more attractive either not to bother working in the first place, or moving your talents elsewhere (hence the large French expat community in London - who will be paying taxes here don't forget, together with all of their high skills).
It doesn't sit well with me, that we should tax people at over 50% no matter what they earn, like the mansion tax it smacks of envy rather than any real benefit, those with real money will just hire somebody to get around it anyway once it becomes to heavy a burden.
As I said previously, I'm not sure it's right to expect from others something you wouldn't expect from yourself. I know I wouldn't want such a large chunk of my wages (that I have to work very hard for) taken in tax, so I'm not sure how I could possible advocate it for other people just because they may earn more than me.
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