Right, I know this is a slightly incendiary topic on here at times but I’m getting fed up with the ever increasing taxation as income increases. I’ve just had my biggest ever tax bill – I’ve crept into another income layer (JUST) that has upped my % and lowered my allowances.

I understand that the state needs to be funded, but there does seem a disproportionate amount of load being placed on hard working people at the moment. I class myself as hard working. I work stupid hours and deal with very big, very complex projects. And I’m rewarded by this government making ever increasing demands on my both present and future (i.e. my pension will be taxed because it’ll be over a threshold!).

We need to stop this “needy” and “gimme gimme” society where there are too many people choosing to live off the state. And this is where I declare that I’ve no problem supporting those who are genuinly under hardship through these tough times. It’s the seemingly ever increasing part of society that is just expecting the country to grant them a lifestyle.

Can’t we force them to work or do something useful? Surely they could be made to do litter picking, maintaining public grounds etc. Something to add some value back to society and something that could save local government money.

I’m sure I’ll get some flaming for this, but just in anticipation, I am from a very working class background, everything I have I have earned, and I’ve never once claimed dole or any similar benefit. I have no kids so excerpt no strain on our education system (or child benefit) and I have private health so excerpt little to no strain on the NHS.

I might go an watch Jeremy Kyle now to cheer me up.

p.s. I’ll be running in the next election

Self-employed here. What’s this tax you speak of?

You earn over £150,000 and you’re single? Have you considered cosmetic surgery?

DD, sadly I’m employed and my employers INSIST on taking tax from me before payment. I wish they wouldn’t.

You need to do what the Union leaders do and up your pension contributions as a tax dodge

Apparently it’s socially acceptable if you are a hard working union leader to dodge tax in this manner

We need to stop this “needy” and “gimme gimme” society where there are too many people choosing to live off the state. And this is where I declare that I’ve no problem supporting those who are genuinly under hardship through these tough times. It’s the seemingly ever increasing part of society that is just expecting the country to grant them a lifestyle.

Stop reading right wing tabloid newspapers and all these issues instantly disappear.

There’s actually billions of pounds in unclaimed benefits, far more than that lost to benefit fraud, which in turn is massively dwarfed by that lost to tax evasion.

3 choices, vote em out, don’t earn so much, or leave the country.

Number 3 worked out quite well for me!

You need to work harder to get into the very top tax band – you know the one where you can get away with paying almost nothing

This government is only doing what it has to because people decided for more than a decade to vote for a swivel-eyed loon to piss money up the wall with gay abandon.

If you didn’t vote Labour, I have a great deal of sympathy for you. I totally agree with paragraph 3 onwards.

wish I had that problem 🙄

We need to stop this “needy” and “gimme gimme” society where there are too many people choosing to live off the state. And this is where I declare that I’ve no problem supporting those who are genuinly under hardship through these tough times. It’s the seemingly ever increasing part of society that is just

just to be clear, you’re talking about politicians here? expenses scandal, anyone?

I totally agree with paragraph 3 onwards.

Where’s the evidence for this so-called ‘benefits culture’? Apart from the Tory press saying its true so it must be.

Those at the bottom can’t pay. Those at the top won’t. So naturally, those in the middle are squeezed for more and more. So, time to get it from those at the top. If they all leave, then good riddance.

Stop reading right wing tabloid newspapers and all these issues instantly disappear.

I heard somewhere in Wales there was a woman with 23 children who lived in a castle with 100″ plasma screens and gold toilets. She was on benefits

a disproportionate amount of load being placed on hard working people at the moment. I class myself as hard working.

What has hard work got to do with the amount of tax you pay? Not a lot IMHO.

Stop working so hard,
drop to a lower tax bracket,
more time to enjoy yourself.

Can’t we force them to work or do something useful? Surely they could be made to do litter picking, maintaining public grounds etc. Something to add some value back to society and something that could save local government money.

You mean give them tax funded jobs, personally I am all for it.

I moved to Germany which has higher tax than the UK, creates more government employment and gives higher benefits. It also has cleaner streets, lower crime, more efficient transport and much more sporting and recreational facilities. All in all I very much feel that the higher taxes contribute to a much better life.
The biggest problem in the UK is the greed and selfishness of the rich, they are far to insular to realise the benefits of contribution to the health of wider society.

earn less money, then you’ll pay less tax.

Simples.

We need to stop this “needy” and “gimme gimme” society where there are too many people choosing to live off the state not to pay their fair share of tax. And this is where I declare that I’ve no problem supporting those who are genuinly under hardship through these tough times. It’s the seemingly ever increasing part of society that is just expecting the country to grant them a lifestyle.

FIFY. I don’t aim this at anyone in PAYE, rather the great and good who consider themselves above tax.

Where’s the evidence for this so-called ‘benefits culture’?

Do you think everyone who could work tries to find it?

MrSmith hard work has everything to do with entitlement.

I work hard and I’m expected to subsidise those that do not. Doesn’t seem fair. It isn’t incentivising me to work hard….

You mean give them tax funded jobs, personally I am all for it.

We already have tax-funded jobs. The current government are getting rid of them.

I work hard and I’m expected to subsidise those that do not.

You are making the assumption that those in receipt of benefits are not working hard. Many people receiving benefits are in employment, but in poorly paid jobs.

most people who claim benefits are in low income jobs. fact. the biggest sector of the welfare budget goes to pensioners. fact.

LOOK. HARDLY ANY OF YOUR TAX IS USED TO SUPPORT THE UNEMPLOYED!!!

It’s mostly used to support the infrastructure you need to be able to do anything, and to protect you, and to educate you, and to cure you, and to support the old who have paid in themselves to support the generation before them, and to keep roofs over the heads of the exploited working poor.

What has hard work got to do with the amount of tax you pay? Not a lot IMHO.

This.

I pay a lot less tax than the DrRSwank. Do he therefore work harder than me?

your a high earner why not pay high taxes. only a small amount of your tax goes to folk who should be in work. so stop annoying yourself by thinking your paying tax to support those out of work. I can see your frustration in paying lots and lots of tax but to be honest its a position most will be envious of.

The two most irritating widespead myths in your post for me are
– the assumption that only the rich (those in top tax brackets) “work hard”
– the assumption that there is a benefits culture, and you are subsidising large numbers of lazy people who can’t be bothered to work

Both are utter nonsense.

there are too many people choosing to live off the state.

Really? Source?

It’s the seemingly ever increasing part of society that is just expecting the country to grant them a lifestyle.

The word that jumps out at me is seemingly. Again, based on what?

The comments on “work less” to drop a tax bracket is actually appealing to me at the moment.

So the country is cutting its own revenue sources by squeezing them too hard.

What gets my goat (well, quite a lot of things get my goat) is the fact that I stump up ever increasing tax to fund this country and my reward is to get stuff all of it back ever – because I’ve earned too much. So I’ll likely get no state pension, the expectation will be that I’ll have worked a long life to fund my retirement privately, whilst paying tax to subsidise the non-workers, who will get a state pension (funded by me), and, to top it all, I’ll get taxed on my pension…

I want my tax back! It’s mine. I earned it.

Do you think everyone who could work tries to find it?

No, not everyone. But where is the evidence of this vast culture of entitlement etc – any actual data? Or is it just one of those things that ‘everyone knows’.

The real crime here is how craply paid many jobs are, not how cushy benefits are. There are huge companies making billions in profits who pay their ordinary staff so little that the state is basically subsidising their wages with benefits.

IIRC most benefits are actually paid to working people, not the ‘spongers’ beloved of the tabloids.

We need to stop this “needy” and “gimme gimme” society

IRONY ALERT!

Btw, why on earth anyone looks at the ‘gross’ column on their pay cheque I’ll never understand. Just ignore it.

MrSmith hard work has everything to do with entitlement.

Yes, and there are a hell of a lot of people who work hard and don’t earn much. MAJOR right winger fallacy alert!

I stump up ever increasing tax to fund this country and my reward is to get stuff all of it back ever

Wait – what? You get nothing back APART FROM A £150K A YEAR JOB? Cos that’s a trivial little thing isn’t it! **** me there are some whinging bastards about.

Jobs don’t exist in a vacuum. They are created by the economy at large. Which is funded to a huge extend by taxation and public spending.

You’re well off, you have a great job, you’ve got it made, stop **** whining 👿

We need to stop this “needy” and “gimme gimme” society where there are too many people choosing to live off the state. And this is where I declare that I’ve no problem supporting those who are genuinly under hardship through these tough times. It’s the seemingly ever increasing part of society that is just expecting the country to grant them a lifestyle.

You need to stop buying in to the rhetoric. What sort of lifestyle do you really think people have on benefits? If it’s so great join them!

879,000 people have been out of work for over a year. What percentage of them have chosen this?

I agree with the OP’s sentiments although I would also emphasise that wanting to work and not being able to is the most soul destroying thing in the world. Government measures to get people back into work are lame and the people employed in job centres tend to be arrogant imbeciles (massive generalisation based on 100% of the individuals I came into contact with when I was younger).

Those choosing not to work should be up against a ‘system’ that ensures they have the basics to live, certainly not more than working people get. It is correct, however, that if you earn the kind of money that you intimate you are doing, then you should pay more tax. To be honest, the huge tax advantages for pensions contributions at the upper tax thresholds that people have been enjoying for years are a prime example of an unjust society.

Given that this country is run by a group of MPs that consider themselves as ‘special’ cases when any discussion on pay is held, it is unsurprising that we’re in this state. That’s where I would start in sorting all these issues – sack the lot of them, get them to re-apply for their own jobs with an acceptance that the job is a fixed salary and full-time (no directorships, consultancies or second jobs). Then we might get leadership that is devoted to the country rather than themselves.

Do you think everyone who could work tries to find it?

No. There are obviously some people happy to live on benefits.

Do you think everyone who would like to work can find a job?

What gets my goat (well, quite a lot of things get my goat) is the fact that I stump up ever increasing tax to fund this country and my reward is to get stuff all of it back ever – because I’ve earned too much.

You make use of government-provided services all the time.

There may not be a link between hard work and taxes, but there seems to be a link between high taxes and living in a bubble.

Oh and stop moaning about tax supporting low income people. Read my original post – my issue is not with them. I’m more than happy that people are working.

I’d just like to see some of the people who are choosing a life of benefits to be pushed into work. It’s time they made a contribution to society.

Surely no-one has an objection to that? (Ok this is STW so someone probably will….).

Personally I don’t begrudge my taxes (nor avoid them) and enjoy the huge advantages they bring: NHS, Schools, Decent streets and roads, community facilities, police etc.

Seems like a good deal to me.

I’d just like to see some of the people who are choosing a life of benefits to be pushed into work. It’s time they made a contribution to society.

It’s such an insignificant amount of money as to be not worth worrying about.

Oh and stop moaning about tax supporting low income people. Read my original post – my issue is not with them. I’m more than happy that people are working.

You mean ‘stop using actual facts to counter my ill-informed ranting’.

Yes there are some people who choose not to work that could but their impact on your tax burden is extremely minimal.