AIBU to feel disheartened by earning into the higher tax band?

People in Scotland on £43k don’t have broad shoulders. They’re skint.

In Scotland the higher rate of tax starts 7k earlier than in England (£43,600-ish) and isn’t 40% but 42%. And the next rate starts at £75k and is 45%. All so the SNP gets loads more money to waste on benefit recipients (far higher than in England). Oh but if you earn less than average you pay something like £40 a year less tax, all so the SNP can say it protects those on low pay better than in England. Performative drivel day in day out.

2% national insurance?

Nonsense.

Something is very wrong in this country where to work hard and do well, penalises people so that we wish we hadn’t bothered.

Earn £60k and you'll start losing your child benefit while those on benefit packages worth £60+ keep their child benefit.

Pay more of your wages into a work pension

Yes, where they consider people earning over 50K rich.

Congratulations on supporting the whole of the UK with your extra 2 grand per year.

It's student loan you should be most annoyed about. I earn marginally more than you but never did a degree so don't have that debt to contend with. Now that one I can understand being upset about.

Feel exactly the same. It feels like what’s the point in bothering to progress and work hard when you just end up losing more through tax. The whole system is rubbish in my opinion.

I’m in the same position and going to look into paying into an AVC for the future with the additional over the threshold so I can avoid some of the tax.

You need to start learning about finance. You need to be utilising pension contributions to bring you down into the 20% tax bracket. If you can't increase your contributions to the employer's scheme, start a SIPP. You do not need a financial adviser to do this. Plenty of good advice out there for free. Check out Rebel Finance School on YouTube and Facebook.

I remember vividly the first month I earned enough to pay higher rate tax, it was an achievement. A real milestone in my career. I bitched a bit when I had to pay tax on my company car but I always saw increased tax generally as the price of success and having the broadest shoulders.

What alternatives to high taxes do you suggest?

You only pay 40% tax on anything over 50000, you don't pay 40% on the whole, so if you earn 65000, you only pay 40% tax on the extra 15000.
For the 2026/27 tax year in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you can earn up to £50,270 before paying the 40% higher rate tax. You pay 20% tax on income between £12,571 and £50,270, and 40% on any income above £50,270 up to £125,140.

Adult Social Care is services for people with learning disabilities as well as the elderly ....life long care

Those people I described have mild to moderate learning disabilities...so it sounds like you do want vulnerable people to be without support.

The idea that it's the middle earners who are supporting our society is ridiculous too...who did we see as essential workers in the pandemic..care staff, bus drivers, shop staff, delivery drivers...none of those are midfield earners

So, after pension contributions you're very close to the threshold. Buy a weeks annual leave and you'll be back under again.

I know it’s just 🤬.

Middle earners funding everyone and getting fuck all in return is so true! On a thread about council tax a few weeks ago everyone was quick to point out most of it goes on adult social care. Like that makes it ok and people are going to be happy to pay over £3k a year knowing that when the time comes, their house will be sold to pay for their own care.

We were told in 6th form that the student loan would be the cheapest finance we’d ever have. Well it didn’t turn out to be true, my mortgage was lower at one point than my student loan. By a long long way.

They weren't transparent about this and interest rates have increased. I have 3 different plans. When I was in school, I didn't want to go to University. I was persuaded to go. My parents were concerned about me going because they couldn't afford to support me. I worked 2 jobs whilst doing studying because my parents wanted me to have savings to go. I was told by the school, it wasn't real debt, low interest and it would be equivalent to a phone contract and I wouldn't pay it back until I earnt decent money. When I started paying it back, I was only paying off the interest which has been as high as 7%. My student loan amount was £53K. It is now £66k. By the time, I pay it off, I will have paid up to £110k back if I stay at my current wage.

So no, we were not told and there is a lot of discourse on this. We were effectively mis-sold which if it was in any other sector than government, they would be held accountable.

I'm happy to pay it back, I'm even happy for low interest to be added. I'm not happy about paying double what I borrowed when I work hard every day to contribute to public services and the older generation had it for free.

I agree it’s such an unfair argument! Like any higher rate taxpayer that dares to complain is painted as an evil witch that doesn’t want to support disabled children 🙄. If we were just supporting those in genuine need that’ would
be fine that is what the system is for! But it’s now ballooned monstrously.

Absolute bullshit. No one is trying to rob money from people with severe learning disabilities. The system was created to support those exact people. But our benefits bill is like a many-headed monster that just keeps growing. People will happily pay taxes as long as the social contract is upheld. What's happening now is that the middle earners are funding EVERYONE and getting fuck all in return. When WE need the safety net it doesn't exist.