• This topic has 71 replies, 25 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by nickc.
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  • How much does your household spend on war each year?
  • jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    Turns out there’s a new law being discussed in parliament tomorrow, which would allow you to opt out of your taxes going on military spending

    On average, I am told we each pay £500 a year in tax towards the £35bn budget for war and preparations for war. Not to mention an additional estimated £420m in annual subsidy to promote the British arms trade and an additional indirect subsidy of £570m through government funding of weapons development costs.

    Say you and your partner are each contributing £500 a year to weapons of mass destruction, that would mean since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, you’d spent a not inconsiderable £14,000 on wreaking havoc and misery.

    If you’re a little older and were paying taxes back when the UK (& US) government(s) assisted Saddam’s chemical weapons programme, you’d be looking at almost £30,000 of your hard earned contributing to the situation that led to the creation of ISIS and ultimately, yesterday’s attack.

    Probably a bit late to contact your MP, but certainly worth pursuing, just a shame it wasn’t publicized a bit sooner.

    Taxes for Peace Not War

    Nick
    Full Member

    You know what? I’d like to contribute NOTHING to the imperial war machine, however, I’d like the data to be really accurate and “On average, I am told we each pay £500 a year in tax towards the £35bn budget for war and preparations for war. ” isn’t good enough.

    jonnyboi
    Full Member

    On average, I am told we each pay £500 a year in tax towards the £35bn budget for war and preparations for war.

    ‘Budget for war….preparations for war’……. whoever phrased it that way can do one.

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    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    I spent a few bob on war against ants last year.

    Nick
    Full Member

    you snooze you looze jonnyboi

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    I’m still fighting a war against 10 speed and tapered steerers.

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    So let’s find that data… must be available somewhere in this day and age

    rene59
    Free Member

    Do we still pay for the defence and aid/relief/emergency response stuff if we opt out of paying for the war bit?

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Average as in average tax paying family? You can actually see the spending breakdown on defence and apply that to your tax spend, though defence has other benefits such as peace keeping, foreign aid work, rescues. Add in when in natural disaster the military are used to help people and other forgetting the employment it generates both in service personnel and the supply chain.

    Oh and from a UK perspective I’d like to have opted out of any of my taxes being spent on the west Midlands and Sunderland, along with on homeopathy.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    I’d opt out of foreign aid.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    I’m fighting a mental war.

    If I stop contributing, will I win or loose ?

    dovebiker
    Full Member

    juanghia
    Free Member

    wreaking havoc and misery.

    You say havoc and misery I like to think of it as giving freedom and democracy to those that don’t deserve it.

    Potatoes tomatoes innit (-:

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    If the money goes on sharks with frickin lasers then I’m happy to pay in 😀

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    It’s tricky to quantify:

    aid/relief/emergency response stuff

    Is that on a purely domestic level, or in overseas conflicts which in many instances have come about as a result of government subsidized arms sales?

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    or in overseas conflicts which in many instances have come about as a result of government subsidized arms sales?

    Take a look on se Asia and the weather, tsunami effects down there. Places like hati. Lots goes on around the world that can be helped by a dedicated defense force.

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    If the money goes on sharks with frickin lasers then I’m happy to pay in

    That’s not a bad shout, I reckon inflatable sumo costumes and rock paper scissors would be a good way to settle most disputes, failing that get full aggro with the paintball.

    Terminator drones and skynet is probably taking it a bit far though…

    mattyfez
    Full Member

    ^Haha was just about to say something similar, if you opt out of the war chest, what’s to stop the government using general taxation propping up companies who invest or directly arm other countries to create a war that ‘needs’ to be fought? Same thing is it not?

    Seems like an unessesary idea that adds costs and complexity, if we don’t like what the government is doing we vote them out in a general election, that’s at least how it’s supposed to work…

    Last thing we need is more taxation complexity.

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    dedicated defense force.

    But situations like that could just as easily be dealt with by an army of firemen, medics, or divers.

    The word ‘defence’ is often used well out of context.

    Bit like 1984 really ‘War is Peace’

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    Taxation complexity vs increasing global instability and more terrorist attacks…

    Hmm, tricky choice

    mattyfez
    Full Member

    Now if I could increase my tax free pay directly by opting out, so the government gets nothing, you’ve got my attention, lol!

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    The word ‘defence’ is often used well out of context.

    As is the word “war”, but you knew that.

    wrecker
    Free Member


    I’d sooner not spend on criminal justice but people commit crimes. I’d sooner not spend on welfare to those of working age, but there aren’t enough jobs and some people are lazy.
    Interesting how low the EU spending is though……honestly thought it was more than that.
    Every nation has a military, hence we need one too. As a %age of GDP (the only relevant metric really), we spend less than Singapore, Colombia, Algeria, Poland, France and a good few others.

    monde
    Free Member

    Genuinely interested JHJ in what do you think would have happened in places like Sierra Leone without military intervention from the UN and more importantly the British and how would they have been resolved?

    Tom_W1987
    Free Member

    Can I opt out of subsidising heart bypasses for fat ****

    mattyfez
    Full Member

    Military expenditure should be as is. Don’t like it, vote with your feet.

    Having various tax rules just allows plausible personal deniability and war can be funded indirectly through general taxation anyway.

    Tom_W1987
    Free Member

    yeah could be a good excuse/cover for increasing defence spending actually….

    Sandwich
    Full Member

    I’d sooner not spend on welfare to those of working age, but there aren’t enough jobs and some people are lazy.

    Alternatively some employers are not paying a wage commensurate with a moderate standard of living in certain parts of the country.

    neilthewheel
    Full Member

    A friend of mine did a spell in prison for refusing to pay the part of his taxes spent on the military. He was a baker and offered to pay it in bread rolls.

    dufusdip
    Free Member

    Here come the trolls.

    How was it that you blocked individuals?

    mattyfez
    Full Member

    Tom_W1987 – Member
    Can I opt out of subsidising heart bypasses for fat ****

    Only if I can opt out of subsidising hospital treatment for mountain bikers and skiers with broken legs and collar bones. 😉

    mefty
    Free Member

    In answer to the original question, very little, but a shedload for relative peace.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    I have relatives piece ..

    Does that count ?

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    Genuinely interested JHJ in what do you think would have happened in places like Sierra Leone without military intervention from the UN and more importantly the British and how would they have been resolved?

    Hmm… perhaps if private military contractors linked to the UK intelligence services hadn’t covertly supplied the weapons which led to escalation of conflict in the 1st place things wouldn’t have become nearly so bloody:

    A British firm, Sandline International, was hired last July by allies of ousted President Tejan Kabbah to provide “logistical support” – namely the supply of arms and a helicopter – for a counter-coup.

    The mercenary company, based in London and headed by the former Guards officer Tim Spicer, is accused of breaching a UN resolution by arranging for a shipment of 35 tons of Bulgarian-made AK-47 rifles to Sierra Leone.

    A key part of Sandline’s defence is that it kept Foreign Office officials and Whitehall defence intelligence staff fully informed of the operation.

    It’s worth bearing in mind that Tim Spicer mentioned in that article was key in setting up Aegis Defence Services, which profited immensely from Iraq and Afghanistan and is chaired by Prince Charles’ best mate, Nicholas Soames

    If you want deeper insight into Sierra Leone and the arms industry in general, read this book:

    wrecker
    Free Member

    Alternatively some employers are not paying a wage commensurate with a moderate standard of living in certain parts of the country.

    That too. And those who choose to work part time. And the poor sods on zero hour contracts.
    Point is we all have to pay for stuff we don’t want to but is necessary, and defence is necessary. In the last 20 odd years defence spending has gone up in the same sort of scale that other public spending has, and we have asked an awful lot of them (and by we, I mean all of those who have voted for labour or conservative in that time)

    Hmm… perhaps if private military contractors linked to the UK intelligence services hadn’t covertly supplied the weapons which led to escalation of conflict in the 1st place things wouldn’t have become nearly so bloody:

    I would suggest that you read up on that particular conflict, and in particular (hague indicted for war crimes) Koroma, and his relationship with Charles taylor. Small wonder the UK didn’t want him in place. Anyway it didn’t work and we ended up going. What fun that was…..

    mos
    Full Member

    £500 is probably less than I end up giving to billionaires like Besos and Gates each year.

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    Is that a voluntary contribution, or an enforced one?

    ads678
    Full Member

    I pay my taxes, I understand that some of that goes towards the armed forces.
    I don’t have a problem with that. They generally do a good job but some of the things they are involved in, I don’t agree with.
    I’d rather have an army than not though.

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    Appreciate it’s tricky… I’ve been mates with plenty of squaddies over the years and they’re all good folks, but it’s not really about personality, or ensuring jobs for the boys, or protecting our little island against anyone crazy enough to invade it for whatever reason (why would anyone invade anyway?) it’s more about the damaging impact of weapons of mass destruction, which our taxes just happen to pay for.

    The sad fact is, if Her Majesty’s government hadn’t played a significant role in arming Saddam (via a subsidized industry) in the 1st place there wouldn’t have been an invasion of Iraq and there wouldn’t have been ISIS and the people that died yesterday, wouldn’t have died.

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    Allowing taxpayers to pick and choose what taxes they pay wont end well.

    Or is it more of “oh we won’t spend YOUR taxes on Guns, we’ll only spend yours on Fluffy Kittens and Wurhers Original for Old Ladies – but you still have to pay the same”. Then go right ahead, if it lets people sleep better at night.

    I’d like to opt out of paying for new prison building, the war on drugs and the 3rd Heathrow Runway please.

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