The top 10% of taxpayers contribute 60% of income tax...

[MsPinkMarshmallow]

I'm fed up of hearing that "high earners" will be targeted by the next budget.

The top 10% of taxpayers pay 60% of income tax.

Don't piss them off. They'll just leave the UK or work less so they're taxed less.

Some more stats: in 2024-25, the top 1% of income tax payers earned 13.3 per cent of total income and paid 28.2 per cent of income tax

35% of adults in the UK pay no tax at all

More from the Taxpayers Alliance here:

https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/briefing_share_of_income_tax_paid_by_percentile

<stands back and awaits kicking>

it is incredibly rare that people will drop hours enough to justify employers employing 2 people. What will actually happen is that people will drop their hours and the additional time will not be filled, increasing delays and reducing productivity. But that's fine, because it will have shown those higher rate tax payers.

Correct - but most people fortunate to be in the top 0.1% (and to a lesser extent the top 1%) don't get to earn that level of income working for someone else- they tend to own their own business so they are indeed able to move abroad.

As for reducing hours whilst what you post sounds good in theory, in reality what happens is the company decides to save money by not hiring anyone else or it's not practical to hire someone else just to fill in for the one or two days that the full time employee has dropped or that the employer tries to get 5 days work out of the 3 or 4 days the person is working or that the company is prepared to just have less productivity from having the employee work 3 or 4 days a week.

Numerous times I have had to wait a day or two to contact someone because "they don't work on Fridays".

Do people seriously think this will be the last word on tax from Reeves? Not a chance - she will keep coming, and coming, and coming.

But, deep down, many of you know this, of course.

Agreed

i job shared both us us doing 3 days a week, she left and they haven’t replaced her….im drowning in work

Several people I worked with who worked 60 hour weeks over many years, dropped dead a few years after retiring. The truth is that putting in too many hours and stress may well cost people time in the long run. Why should some people do all that so that others can put their feet up and live into their 90s? It does not make sense. Surgeons, corporate lawyers, CEOs - all these high stress jobs can come with actual significant long term health risks. Of course, those in abject poverty are even more at risk. But the lazy comfortable lower middle choosing lifestyle and time over earning more and paying more tax, that is not some sort of moral good. They are making a choice that suits them best in this society we live in. If everyone made that choice, we would soon be bankrupt. We need the strivers desperately. Personally I do not have the energy to kill myself for extra cash, but I have full respect and gratitude to those who do. Especially the surgeons working many many hours, it is an incredibly tough job if they are working full time.
It would be far less stress working in a checkout with little implication if you get something slightly wrong than operating on someone.

Gosh, what's it like living in such a self important bubble? How much oil/gas was extracted from London then? How much wind power do you generate? How many farmers do you have? How much stone do you quarry?

If you read the thread you'll see I've already replied to similar questions.

🤡

Sooo… communism then?

Or you’ll allowing chucking an extra £100 a month at the neurosurgeon for their specific expertise?

most people fortunate to be in the top 0.1% (and to a lesser extent the top 1%) don't get to earn that level of income working for someone else- they tend to own their own business so they are indeed able to move abroad

I don't think is correct. Top 0.1% (edited - correcting typo) is a salary of £650k - I'd be surprised if there are more owner/ manager types making that than there are employees. Loads of people make that in banking, law, accountancy, you'll need to add all the c suite at reasonably sized companies, heads of territories of multi nationals.

Then there is the fact that actually I reckon most businesses are less portable than individual people, not more.

ETA - I just read your post again properly, you don't even say more you say most. I am pretty certain that it isn't most people earning an income of 650k or more are business owners.

I am afraid that you have absolutely and completely misunderstood my original post.

Unfortunately it's not sustainable and you will get to a stage where you are simply unable to do 5 days work in 3 days. At that point will either quit to go elsewhere or not give a shit so your productivity drops off.

Again, how do you propose people actually work more than one FT job, whilst also studying/training to improve themselves, looking after family/children, and also sleeping and eating?

No you haven't. You've avoided it each time.

Can we stop painting paying tax in a negative light?

I want a big state. I don't want to worry about getting sick because I want to know we have a functioning health service. I want to not replace the tyres on my car constantly and instead have decent roads etc etc.

Small state and low tax is a false economy.

I'm disgusted to see reform pushing for this.

Proud to pay tax and would pay more.

Before I go through the many posts is there a numerical answer to the question? For a shelf stacker and lawyer

Reeves and Starmer should target the few that want to pay more. They need all the help they can get.

True communism has never really existed, because there's always corruption the further up the command one goes.

Ha ha, you not liking the answer doesn't mean I've avoided it.
Look back and you'll see. Apology accepted in advance.

In the words of Keir Starmer himself "you don't get to grow the economy by increasing taxes "

But I much prefer Churchill's quote:

"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle". Winston Churchill

My dad worked day shift at Dagenham and then drove a taxi till 1am for most of his 20s and early-mid 30s. Fifteen years. It’s how he saved to get on the property ladder & afford to marry and have children.

Lots of people work lengthy hours in two jobs. I’n 62, have a full time professional position and just now starting to shut down my freelance business, which occupied 3-4 evenings and one weekend day most weeks.

I think most people aren’t working to capacity, which is why COL complaints usually fail to arouse my sympathy. People need to hustle more.

Why do you think someone will become a neurosurgeon when they can make the same money as a barista?

What should the difference in wages be between these two roles - what would you consider to be acceptable?

RTFT.

Why does anyone choose any job? Money isn't the only motivation, or at least it shouldn't be. Actually, the world might be doing better if those in senior roles weren't so greedy.
I've already replied to part 2, RTFT.

@1dayatatimei dont believe in endless growth in a finite world.

I don't believe the purpose of taxation is to grow the economy. It's to achieve economies of scale, it's to know that we are stronger as one community. We don't live in bubbles, we depend on each other in society, whether we like it or not.

Even millionaires have to use NHS A&E services.
Every hospital has staffed trained in the UK education system.

If we want 'growth', the smartest thing would be to borrow and invest in green energies and a technological future. Nothing to do with tax.

I'd actually be concerned he was overworking - my dad did a driving related job too and there were strict hours of rest required. There's no way he could have worked another job on top of his driving job. He was already at capacity. His job also allowed thousands, possibly more, of other workers to get to and from work every single day.