What tax do you most hate

[Taxta]

I’m torn between stamp duty and inheritance tax.

Stamp duty. Taxing people for moving house is insanity.

VAT on all forms of utility bills.

Stamp duty, it is a serious drag on people’s ability & willingness to move when they want to, whether that is for work, retirement, because they want to try a new area.

It is a stupid tax that should (along with council tax) be replaced by a land value tax payable by everyone.

Inheritance tax is paid by so few estates that I don’t really understand why people hate it - it is one of the few taxes that actually targets the wealthiest. The argument that the person paid tax on their wages so the wealth from the house they bought with them shouldn’t be taxed again is ridiculous - I pay council tax, VAT, stamp duty, insurance tax, car tax (I know that’s not its name) from the wages I have already paid tax on once - why should inheritance tax be any different?

Fuel tax.

This thread is beyond depressing. IHT is the most justifiable tax of all. Generational wealth is the biggest predictor of life outcomes in this country - right down to how many years you’ll live in good health. That’s fucked up. This isn’t bitterness speaking: when my parents pass on I’m likely to be handing a significant sum to the treasury. And rightly so! That money isn’t mine - I’m lucky to receive it by a fluke of my birth and my parents’ good luck with the years they lived and the housing market strength during that time.

Earnings are taxed, interest is taxed, not savings. You can't punish dead people.

Inheritance is unearned by the benefactors, so I think it's fine for it to be taxed. I think inheritance leads to massive inequalities in society, so it's right to address those using the tax system

Stamp duty as I dont think it makes sense.

I actually think inheritance tax is a good way of taxing people as it doesn't affect the person who dies during their lifetime at all. I wish more people would stop legally avoiding it. I realize this will not be a popular view.

Agreed!

Only about 5% of estates are subject to inheritance tax, it doesn't even affect most people.
I can't see the very wealthy spending everything and relying on public care (although, I can't see the very wealthy paying inheritance tax either).

Give your money to more people when you die, spread it out and avoid the tax.

VAT and stamp duty. Anything that taxes and therefore discourages spending is unhelpful for the economy.

Income tax is also unhelpful especially when there are “cliff edges” like the current >£100k bracket. Just discourages people from earning more.

Conversely if taxes have to be increased, I would increase taxes on inheritance, gambling winnings and property gains. These types of income are windfalls for the recipient.

My parents bought their house in 1983 for £55k. If it went up in line with inflation, that would be about £275k today.

It's recently been valued for £1.6 million.
They haven't been taxed on that, so I don't seem why they shouldn't. They did nothing to deserve it other than to be lucky.

Tax thresholds . They are too low .

If the previous Govt of 14 years didn't do it why would the next Govt of whatever party?

Indeed, similar for mine

And it isn’t just them being lucky with no other effects - current and future generations are worse off as a result, as prices are now so unaffordable compared with salaries.

Basically there has been a massive wealth windfall for (many of) those who bought property 15-40 years ago, at the expense of those who have bought recently or are trying to buy today.

If we tax people on gambling winnings we will end up giving them loss relief on their losses. A whole horrible industry of avoidance will spring up. That’s why it hasn’t been taxed.

It affects many people who live in south east England and there are numerous people who don't want to engage with the 7 year rule as they're fearful of what their life might be like in 7 years.

And this doesn't change the fact that it's evil that money that has already been taxed is being taxed again.

I hate the fact that they removed indexation from CGT- means you pay tax even if you make a real terms loss. Same for income tax on interest below the rate of inflation- you’ve lost money and yet you’re still taxed.

Stamp duty is an idiotic tax that hampers growth and contributes to our housing shortage by disincentivising downsizing.

Figures for the percentage of estates that pay IHT always misrepresent the number of families affected by it, given how many people leave their whole estate to their surviving spouse.

National insurance.

It's just another tax, but even worse, it's a tax only on workers.

Needs scrapping and income tax increasing instead.

I don't hate any specific tax itself but I hate when accountants turn a blind eye to directors having holidays which they pretend are business trips. Lots of other so-called business expenses which really aren't for business reasons. Meals put through as subsistence when the directors weren't going anywhere for business, that kind of thing.

It shouldn't be up to you to decide whether the beneficiary has 'earned' it.

The person leaving the money worked their whole life has earned it - and they want to leave it to their children. They should be the ones who decide - not you

If you’re being serious… what would the alternative be to pay for public services if we didn’t have taxes? Is there another option available?

So the SE believes they shouldn't be taxed even though there are ways to avoid that tax that are legal. Two certainties in life are death and taxes and there are ways to minimise one of them before the other one arrives. That money may not have been taxed if eg it's a house that increased in value.

VAT on veterinary treatment and medication. We don't have to pay it on the human equivalent, and it just seems really unfair.

VAT on fees for special schools. I can’t really afford a private school, but the alternative is for my son to get no education and becoming suicidal. State provision is absolute crap.
Having to pay VAT on top of fees for my well behaved, willing to learn but autistic child when the bully next door gets his schooling for free (and pretty much is a menace to all other kids and teachers) is a kick in the teeth.

Yes. We all need to be rich and live in eg Monaco