To wonder how the UK will look in 3 years time?

The decisions they’ve made. NI for example, and others.

Why can't you edit on the app!!!

high not higher

It’s why the entire “net contributor” argument is so pointless and illogical

I agree that it's pretty redundant and we have always had a higher % of net takers. Obviously an increasingly ageing population means more net takers.

Accountability for what? The deep seated consequences of 14 years of poor management and bad decisions by various conservative governments?
No, it doesn’t.

No, it's not.

It's gobsmackingly obvious that this term will be the last one for Labour for many decades to come.

It's also gobsmackingly obvious that apart from possibly unionised labour everyone else will be substantially worse of at the end of their term - if not directly because of taxes then because of inflation and unemployment.

It's also gobsmackingly obvious that lasting effect of the damage they are doing to education, aspiration and growth will take decades to undo.

They don’t pay income tax yet no, but if you add up all the VAT they are solely responsible for, the jobs they support, swimming teachers, football sellers, ice cream venders, school uniform embroiderers, LEGO shops, the list is truly endless, I reckon 80% of the VAT and fuel tax we pay is our children.

I don’t think the tax gap, what they cost the country v how much the chancellor gets because of them, is as big as you think.

Funny how @blossomtoes thinks I have to forward pay my kids’ education which I obviously do actually in fact do and comfortably so, but all the pensioners are not expected to pay their way which is the 17k in tax per person in each household in today’s money.
If everyone paid their way, the problem would be sorted instantly.

I agree. It’s why the entire “net contributor” argument is so pointless and illogical. I was a higher rate tax payer for over 20 years during which I had no health issues at all, essentially I took virtually nothing. Now I’m a pensioner and the state pension means I take more than I pay in. Circumstances change everything.

How cool:

Politics latest: Reeves considering tightening inheritance tax, reports suggest | Politics News | Sky News

The proposals being considered include imposing a cap on lifetime gifts.

Whoever will be in power in 2029, and that's not Labour for sure, will reverse it. But the damages will be done by then - higher earners/wealthier people who can't leave will stop working as soon as they have enough for the rest of their lifetime and spend it on travel. Wow!

No I think Labour need to have more accountability than this. It won’t land with the majority. Maybe those who always vote Labour, but that is probably not high enough for them.

Mostly people voted for Brexit. That went well ….

As I said, the economic consequences of the dire management by previous governments are still, obviously, playing out.
By the end of this term, yes, I believe it will be turning. At least another full term thereafter will be needed to cement the positive outcomes of better governance.

Really, isn’t that just gobsmackingly obvious to anyone with even a vague interest?

Most pensioners will take more than they contribute unless they have very high private pensions so the tax they pay exceeds the cost of their state pension and healthcare.

And yet the narrative is often "I have paid in all my life for X". The fact so many haven't is a big part of the economic burden that many refuse to acknowledge.

I don’t think it’s a revelation to anyone - or at least it shouldn’t be - that ratios of contribution vary throughout a life time. If you’re childfree, working and healthy, you take less, this changes with circumstances. Most pensioners will take more than they contribute unless they have very high private pensions so the tax they pay exceeds the cost of their state pension and healthcare.

Are they turning it? Economic indicators are going on the wrong direction.

I think a few still think they’re doing well, 13% but mostly people disagree.

Of course there’s an endless list, but to begin to turn around a titanic of an economy was always going to take at least a full term. Really, if people are disappointed, that’s partly down to them for not understanding that obvious fact.

Unfortunately a lot of the electorate are stupid.

https://uk.talent.com/tax-calculator

Both DH and I pay really high marginal tax rates. I wish it were only 32k a year each! It is more than that for each of us. And 2 kids are not at school anymore. 1 is at uni abroad, costs the taxpayer nothing. In fact, he landed a tech job already and is being paid obscene amounts, as far as I am concerned for the fact he is still at uni. He is extremely good at Maths.

In theory, everyone has to pay over 17k per person in tax in their household to be a net contributor, on average.

So how many people and how many households are contributing this 17k per person in tax?!

No, but those inevitable consequences of years of poor governance were never going to magically cease the moment a new government was elected. The NHS waiting list is going down, more medical appointments have been created and the government have reintroduced effectively SureStart under its new name. A good beginning.

Of course there’s an endless list, but to begin to turn around a titanic of an economy was always going to take at least a full term. Really, if people are disappointed, that’s partly down to them for not understanding that obvious fact.

You doubt? based on what? your household paying much less tax?

32k pa tax is paid on £100k income. 16% of Londoners were earning this in 2020

The public don’t want to see it get worse. Ie lower jobs, higher taxes and other policies that are failing.

If it was getting a bit better even slowly Labour would have more support.

This. The public is expecting far too much, far too soon.

Of course they are. They chose to have the children who contribute nothing.

So many pensioners will definitely be net takers as birth rates were higher in the past. Cool.

Of course it is not going to be fixed in one year when it took years to reach issues where they are. Tell us a politician or a party who is going to fix it, Maybe we can all vote for them in next elections.

I'm not an economist and I haven't done the math though so please no policy changes on my account. I am shocked that nobody has even tried to look into though, but then we are a welfare state, so...