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

Shame about the Human Rights issues right enough...

When DH and I move to a 0% tax location we'll be able to enjoy our hard work

Not being able to claim childcare hours has basically radicalised me into not wanting to pay any more tax.

I’ve always been pretty lefty and happy to find services, pay my tax. The greater good and all that.

When it became apparent I was expected to pay tax and actually he excluded from the services I was funding when I needed them - well, not really in it together any more are we.

Free in Scotland.

Does she get more than the State Pension?

Factually that's incorrect information. I gather though that this statement (without factual basis) has been circulating online , be very careful of fake news.

I'd happily pay more if everyone else was going to pay more.

But if I rocked up with a £500 cheque it's going to make so little difference to the treasury that it's next to pointless. All is does is take money off me and provide practically zero improvement in services.

Yes if I was taxed more then there would be people out their who would pay even more than me if the tax was progressive. But the idea that people who have more can pay more is pretty much rooted in our system and cannot really be changed easily. In fact I am not sure it could be changed at all.

There is plenty of wealth in this country that could be taxed without majorly affecting peoples living standards. People still seem to have loads of cash to spend on holidays, cars, home improvements and various other tat if you read the threads on here.

There aren't many parties you can vote for who have a stated intention to tax more to improve services. Labour bottled it at the last election when they had no need to at all. Hence a significant amount of Starmers policies failing.

If there are people out there who believe they should be paying the minimum tax possible fair enough. Maybe somewhere between them and me there is a balance point.

That's what people mean when they say 'I'd prefer to pay more tax' - they mean they want the core tax rate(s) increased. IMO your OP is disingenuous.

If they meant 'I want to pay an individual voluntary contribution' that's what they'd say.

You've chosen to interpret them as meaning something different, rather than explaining why you think tax should stay the same or be cut.

I wouldn’t want to pay more tax thanks.

We have spent years being net contributors already.

We worked our way up from nothing. You can make it if you're able bodied. You just need to work hard

DH is a very high earner. 45p bracket. We don't like paying this much tax. A move to the ME is going to happen soon.

Or more precisely, I'll pay a little bit more for fantastic public services as long as other (richer than me) people pay a lot more for them too.

Obviously what's lost on them is:

1. Most of your taxes will be spent on maintaining the rather crap services we have already and on the welfare state. There will be very little money for improvements even if you pay more tax as the cost of maintaining a status quo rises every year.

1. The most obvious place to use additional tax would be to pay down the debt we accrued running the poor services and welfare state over the law few decades. We have been living beyond our means for years and like everyone else, at some point it all needs to be paid back.

1. Middle earners are actually where the biggest tax increases should be targeted if we want to be like the beloved Scandinavian countries. This means that actually those many of those who foresee their increases being matched by the rich are misguided. They need to take on the bulk of raising more money. Not many middle earners are happy with this when they can pretend that billionaires will fix everything and they can contribute peanuts.

Whenever I hear that grandly proclaimed by people I’m like…bullshit no you wouldn’t. What they really mean is, other people should pay more tax but you couldn’t possibly mean me?!! I need my money 😂

I've not read the full thread so hopefully this has already been addressed.

Ukrainians suffered and died for us in massive numbers in ww2 and are now benefiting the whole of Europe by taking on Russia. Of course we should support them, and frankly it's costing us less than the alternative.

You'll notice absolutely none of that was about their skin colour.

Totally agree. Surely if you that exercised about education just give the pta at your kids schools £10k. Then you would never have to got to a shit school fair ever again

That is my opinion - although I'm not sure that supporting them with munitions counts as "Foreign Aid"?
Have you never heard the expression "Don't set fire to yourself to keep others warm ?
If you, yourself, want to support all these 'doctors and engineers' coming from all around the globe how about you take a couple into your home?

I think that’s true. But I also think that there is a different attitude to the involvement of the state in citizens lives

I agree but culturally there is different mindset that IMO is the difference between such a tax system working and not - evidenced by the OP's proposition!

When people say they would be happy to pay more, they don’t normally mean they’d be happy to voluntarily pay extra, as an individual.

They obviously mean they think the tax rate should be higher for everyone, because the benefits of everyone paying outweigh any downsides to them personally, as an individual.

There is so much money wasted and thrown at stupid things. I don’t want to pay more tax so it can be spent on nonsense. The NHS needs a total overhaul and so does education. Welfare is out of control, immigration is an issue. No. Until these things are sorted I will be loathed to pay more tax.

A lot of people seem to want Scandinavian levels of public services but pay Dubai
levels of tax. This is a problem clearly.

Yes I’d pay more, but everyone who can needs to pay more. Not a voluntary system.

I get annoyed when people do what you did here op. The annoyance is the word "tiny" because it tells me you have made your mind up already.

Now I grew up in Denmark. From Google
Average burden: The average worker pays a substantial portion of their income in total taxes, often averaging around 45% when combining state and municipal dues.

I am willing to pay that in taxes if I was to get something closer to what they receive in Denmark. For example similar maternity and paternity leave, better education, you get paid to go to university. A better welfare system, better roads.

This I would be willing pay more toward. I am not happy to make a voluntary payment to the current system in the UK. And that is what your link is suggesting.

While I would be ok to pay more in taxes I would want a serious overhaul of the current system before this was to happen.

And note I say I am willing noone is "happy" to pay taxes. I am certainly not happy to voluntary pay more into the system we have now as I know it will not go to areas that will make a difference more likely to another Boris type party.

With an overhaul and some heavy reform into the welfare system yes I would be willing to pay more in taxes. As it stands right now. No I am not willing.

I certainly wouldn’t be happy to pay more tax, I’m paying enough.

If I could find a way to pay less, I absolutely would.

No they don't which Scandinavian country are you thinking of?

I think we have 35 million workers and if we each paid an extra £1 a day we could raise 12 billion. If we threw in the richest 25% of pensioners we could get another couple of billion.

This isnt a serious suggestion btw, i know someone on minimum wage would find £1 a day very hard to find. So I dont need examples if why 35 million people cant afford £365!

but what i mean by 'pay more tax' is finding a largest group possible and them all paying a very tiny bit more ' like 10p a day is still over a billion, rather than finding a small group and making them pay a lot more. Even though I know that some people can afford more than others, I think this is already catered for with the tax free threshold and two different tax rates. i dont understand enough about corporation and business taxes but do think taxing someone to employ someone is problematic when there arent enough jobs and AI is coming.

Me individually putting £365 or 100 to the treasury isnt going to make any difference whatsoever. It only works if millions and millions of people do it so I wouldnt do it.