AIBU that working people should be rewarded in the Budget?

Yes. We need to simplify the system. Letting the higher rate income tax thresholds be eroded by inflation is reasonable politics.

I'd reintroduce a top rate of tax, probably at 150, balanced out by removing the messy adjustment of the zero rate band at 100K which produces a mad 60% marginal rate, and drives too many GPs to work part time and other high earners to faff around with their pensions.

I'd prefer it if NICs were completely rolled into Income Tax. Let's stop pretending that we have a contributions-based state pension (it is contributory, but only just). That way high-earning pensioners will be paying the same rate of tax as a worker on the same income - low-earning pensioners wouldn't be affected because of the personal allowance - and various loopholes would be closed, such as the one which grants an extra Lower Earnings Limit for additional employments.

Ditching NI would mean a proportionate increase in tax, which would impact most on the highly paid - that 2% on earnings over £50k would be gone and replaced with a much higher percentage. Is that really what you want?

No. They should reduce NI and NI employers' contributions which are only paid by workers and employers, rather than reducing income tax which is paid by everyone. NI makes no sense and makes the system far more complex. The sooner we ditch it the better.

God I love when people spout this shit -

OP, I am 37. left school at 16 with only GCSEs, left home at 17 due to physical and mental abuse. Now 20 years later I'm more than happily married, with 2 small children (waited to have them until I was comfortable you see) for your reference our mortgage is thankfully only 4 times our JOINT income, for which we saved a deposit together - while renting as you know, no parental home to live in while saving. We have a £30 takeaway once a month (so £3000 over 10 years, that wont have me retired by 55 hah) Drive a 7 year old car and DH a work provided van. Still won't be retiring in our early 50's though I can tell you that now, those kids we waited until our 30's to have - will want uni fees paying by then, after we've just finished spending £1000 a month on their full time childcare (no family childcare on hand while they were little remember)

oh and your other assumptions - ' I could do with a bigger house, more holidays, travel business or first class, eat out regularly wear designer goods etc, but then we'd soon run out of money' are the most Tory/Daily Mail regurgitations I've ever heard! sadly the things that have most running out of money these days are childcare, housing, food and fuel - how DARE we waste our money on these non essentials!

YANBU.

If there is scope for tax cuts in the budget the government should increase personal allowances for the basic & higher rate taxpayers to where they would have been had they been increased in line with inflation rather than frozen in recent years.
This would put money back in the pockets of ordinary working people which, when spent, would stimulate the economy.

Yes it is. Unfortunately it won't get better by imagining the tax system needs to be reconfigured to support those who don't contribute. Even the Labour Party accept that. These fantasies about tax breaks for the lowest earners are just that. The real issue productivity of higher earners. We need more of them, and we need to get them incentives to support public services.

This. So many people genuinely believe they are going to be hammered with IHT when in fact hardly anyone is.

Yep, Google, Amazon, Starbuck and the like need to be taxed more.

Yes, things have got a lot worse in the past 14 years.

Its very hard for people to accept but we are a relatively poorer country than we were at one point

Oh, is it benefits and public sector workers bashing week?

🙄

Tax cuts are the last thing we need!

I say that as a very high earner. We need to pay more in, not less.

What's not certain? It is absolutely certain that parliament will be dissolved on the 17th December at the very latest with an election on the 28th January ,however it is more likely that it will happen before that with an election in October or November.

Not everybody can get a better paying job. Not all jobs have overtime (it's rare for me to be offered any).

And what do you do when your car has completely died - as in needing to be towed home - you don't have enough savings to buy a second hand car outright but you need one to get to work and back? You get a loan.

i think people wouldn’t mind paying higher taxes if they could see where their money was being spent, currently I don’t see where my money is going healthcare isn’t great, social care is abysmal, councils have no money to provide services etc and I’m in Scotland with a higher tax rate paying DH, SNP are not much better

Social housing isn’t just meant for those on benefits and low incomes though it was meant for anyone who wanted it, this is meant to stop ghettoisation of areas and more community feel ( not much of this now mind). Also in some areas social housing is cheaper purely because the HA own the house outright so we are not paying a mortgage and money on top to allow the landlord to make a profit which is what is wrong with private rentals. The private rental market should be made fairer not making social housing worse or a race to the bottom if you like our social housing rent does go up every year and they are also building new houses unfortunately they don’t maintain their older stock but that is a different moan for me

Paying for decent public services isn’t punishment. It’s called social responsibility. Public services have been cut to the bone in the last 14 years, hence the absolutely appalling quality. How would you feel if your occupational pension was meddled with - everyone who gets a public sector pension, apart from the armed forces, is contributing to it.

Totally agree. The tax burden for those in work is outrageous and they wonder why so many people have dropped out of the workforce. People get punished the harder they work. Raising taxes and continually throwing more money at issues isn't the solution. Time to reform the public sector and the massive burden of public sector pensions and waste.

Well given I believe from each according to their means to each according to their needs, and that inherited wealth is one of the major contributors to inequality and social injustice...I'll get my coat.

It's not just rising the social rents with inflation.

A couple I know live in a 2 bed social house with their teenage son. They initially had a low income and both grew up in council houses so applied. They now earn £90k between them and yet still pay so little rent. As they now earn so much, they should pay a market value of rent. The extra money could be used to build more social housing.

Another friend lives in a privately rented house with her 2 boys. They pay over double what the social house couple does, yet earn about £31k combined salary.

The system needs to be made more fair. People need to take more responsibility for their actions and themselves.

Social security was a means to get back on your feet. Not a way of life.

The original post made it sound as though anyone lucky enough not to be working should be taxed extra! I probably misread it but who knows on MN?

They’re not taxed for it. Income is taxed exactly the same way whether it’s earned or passive.

Pah. Pensioners already have better deal than working people. It is ridiculous to continue that.

We have an under supply of working high level contributors and a growth industry of old and sick people. Obviously make sure those needs are covered but by god the message is clear that the needs of the old can't be the leading criteria for this budget.

It has to be working people because they are the source of growth and productivity for the future. Invest in schools and the young. Not pensioners moaning about paying tax.