AIBU to question people claiming they would happily pay more tax?

No, because the vast majority of people quality that they would be happy to pay more if it would lead to an improvement of services. You have your very own thread right here to demonstrate that. Paying more as a single individual would not achieve that qualifier.

Do I need to explain it a third time?

I wouldn't. I don't have nor want children and pay all my rent/bills on my own. I also work next to a migrant hotel full of young men that harass women and am constantly reminded that I'm paying towards that too.

So basically you'd pay more if forced to rather than commit tax evasion? 😆

Terrible problems in the US, too. They have people waiting in corridors as we do, and the insurance companies are sacking doctors in hospitals and countermanding medical decisions made by doctors.

France is in a terrible state - same issues with lack of GPs in certain areas, A&e shutting overnight due to staffing, their pension timebomb is going to blow soon.

in Germany they are also having trouble with various public services and when DH compares what he pays in tax here to what he would pay there it is more when you take the various reliefs into account. The average effective rate is very similar between UK and Germany but lower/middle taxpayers pay more in Germany

Usually it’s lower to mid income paying higher taxes there. I doubt those groups will be keen.

Yes - look at most of Europe and you can see how higher taxation benefits public services, but the UK is always about lowest common denominator. And it's not how macro economics work - years of tax reduction and reduction in public spend has lead to where we are today, austerity anyone? Increased taxation and public expenditure feeds into improved economic outlook, it has always been thus that expenditure stimulates economic growth which helps all citizens.

Agree with this - taxation is around small increases across the board and will align to policy decisions as to where the additional money would be spent. Not one off minor individual contributions that won't have any impact overall. OP post is at best incredibly disengenuous.

very happy to pay more but fairly.

When there are active tax avoiders why should I pay extra and they practice avoidance (I’m PAYE so can’t avoid it anyway)?

I do think remove the triple lock and count pension in inheritance. NO WAY can my mum spend all her pension allowance.

The uk has few tax loopholes compared to other countries, it’s the massive corps that are based globally but trade tax free that are the issue.

This is a global economic issue that cannot be solved by one country alone

I'm not sure your point makes sense OP.

Imagine you lived in a shared house and had a kitty for food. Towards the end of each week you're running low on food. So someone suggests paying in a bit more each week. You say Yes I'd be willing to pay a bit more. Then everyone else says actually I'm not going to pay more, but Tower can pay more as she's said she'd be happy to, then we'll all carry on splitting the food equally.

I guess you wouldn't be happy with this? That's why I've not clicked on the link.

I'd vote for a party that didn't rule out tax hikes if doing that improved things. Whether I'd be happy to pay it is another matter, but needs must.

Where people get annoyed (IMO) is paying more but not seeing any benefit, which is what happens so often. Those who do see the benefits of taxes are generally the ones who are shouting long and loud about not getting enough.

That's the beauty of charity, isn't it? We get to choose our priorities. I support women's charities and food banks.

No chance. We pay too much tax and it's wasted on illegal migrants, welfare and government machinery.

I think it would be because there is no space to discuss it. Taxation is presented as almost theft.

The question leading this thread is, as I understand it, not suggesting that everyone is willing to pay more but that, of those who express willingness, none does so in good faith.

No, but I’m happy for other people to do so if they want to.

I actually think being able to pay more tax to a particular department or program would be a really good idea.

People are allowed to have a different opinion to you, you do realise that right?

I wouldn't say I'm 'happy' to pay more tax, like it's a sort of joyous hobby.

But I would agree to/ not complain about a tax rise if it meant not cutting some services, or improving others, or delivering new ones- depending what those services were.

In the same way that I'm not 'happy' to do the washing up but I find it preferable to eating off dirty crockery.

That is as valid a view as any other in a democracy.

Do you want £ per month or percentages or are you just sneering to suggest that I’m not in good faith? As others have tried to explain, no one ever wants to pay more. I don’t have the expertise to suggest how much more I should pay but yes, I’m willing.

I coped when in Thatcher’s time, we had a basic rate of 25%, compared with the 20% we have now, a lower personal allowance and much higher mortgage rates.

But if people are keen as pp said it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Of course they didn’t because the media would be back to the old tax and spend slogan that shuts off reasoned debate

Those people who are barely making ends meet now wouldn't pay more tax in my budget, in fact personal allowance would increase but the many loop holes would be closed and pensioners, myself included, would pay NI.

@5128gap "I feel in this case, my money is better spent donating to charities."

I refuse point blank to contribute to big charities as their CEO's get salaries averaging £130-150 while they run their shops with volunteers.
The CEO of the RNLI gets a whopping £175,000 for running a "migrant taxi service" across the channel bringing in more mouths to feed.
Age UK CEO gets £192,000
The CEO of the British Heart Foundation gets £268,000+ again shops are run by volunteers.

I'd sooner help out at the local soup kitchen so I can see where the money goes.

I'd be happy to pay a bit more if I thought it would make a difference to the causes I care about. I pay it to charities instead.

So why don't you?

when I say I am happy to pay more what I mean is that I would prefer to pay higher taxes than for services to be cut.

my local hospital already has a vast network of fundraisers and runs many, many charity events, I’ve donated to it many times.

my local primary school also does have a pta (like pretty much every primary school in the country) who run events and fundraise for the school.

i do tend to make my donations now to my local food bank as I am very aware of how many are struggling in my village. (It’s not a wealthy village).

by saying I am happy to pay more I am indicating that I don’t want the NHS in particular to go further down the route of lack of services than it already is. Ideally I’d prefer a European style system but I think the chances of that happening are nil and I’d prefer the nhs over the American style system we seem to be sliding into.

police as far as I am aware are paid for by the police precept on council tax.