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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think Adelle is greedy, ignorant and ungrateful?

179 replies

MrIC · 26/05/2011 10:55

www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/may/25/adele-tax-grievances

Surely most people would just be pleased that they'd earned £8 million, and grateful to the general public for spending so much money on her music?

Also, while she clearly doesn't realise trains have been privatised, she presumably never plans to use a road or pavement again - as clearly her tax bill couldn't go towards paying for them? Likewise I imagine she never plans to avail herself of the police, fire or ambulance services? Nor of course is she benefiting financially from the various free-trade agreements (worked out at the taxpayers' expense) that allow her to sell her music overseas and thus get such a whopping tax bill? She make think state schools are shit, but she went to one - who does she think paid for it?

Why is it the more money people seem to earn the stingier they get?

OP posts:
CucumberMuncher · 26/05/2011 14:06

I'm not so sure you can blame her age to be honest.

I am the same age as her and have been aware for years why I pay tax, how much and what it is used for. But then I suppose she probably doesn't quite live in the real world.

befuzzled · 26/05/2011 14:18

Glad I downloaded her songs now ....

CogitoErgoSometimes · 26/05/2011 14:22

Taking her comments at face value, there's definitely a job opportunity for a good personal tax accountant there. :) Applications via her agent, perhaps.

amberleaf · 26/05/2011 14:22

YABU

MN is soo anti Adele!

I think she comes across as nice in interviews, i also would like t know the context of her comments, id guess from what ive seen of her that it was said in a jokey way.

stickylittlefingers · 26/05/2011 14:36

Silly girl, should have saved that comment for her rich friends, then gone to live in Belize.

the second headline made me laugh tho - Justin Bieber to launch his own perfume. It's a great euphemism - no I didn't fart, I just launched my own perfume...

noddyholder · 26/05/2011 14:38

I love her. Everyone moans about tax. Most young people especially moan about anything which takes money from them for something else-even millionaires!

MollysChamber · 26/05/2011 14:40

I read the whole interview in Q. I think she's very honest and down to earth really.

I understand what she meant. It was said in a light hearted way. If you're a bit naive about taxation I would imagine it would be a scunner to open a bill for 4million quid. She's well aware of her good fortune.

She's a Labour party supporter as are the rest of her family and is aware of the contradiction. I think it's fair enough not to be jumping up and down with joy at parting with that amount of money if you can't see where it is going and who will benefit from it. As she will learn - that's life.

duchesse · 26/05/2011 15:21

When you first become self-employed, it is a bit of a wrench handing over cash that you've had in your possession to HMRC even if in my case it's a lot less than 4 million quid. It's not quite the same on PAYE where you've never actually had the money. I can imagine that it must have been a shock to her to see that half of her earnings had gone. What her accountant ought to have told her is that she had made £4 million, which is objectively a pretty big sum of money, and she'd have been happy.

EdwardorEricCantDecide · 26/05/2011 15:33

Everyone moans about tax. Most young people especially moan about anything which takes money from them for something else-even millionaires!

why do young people especially moan about tax? sorry but thats just not my experience, and being young i tend to know a lot of young people, someone made a very good point earlier that it probably does feel a lot worse if your self employed as you already have the money and have to "pay the tax bill" rather than PAYE where the money never reaches your account.

just feel there's a lot of sweeping generalizations about young people which aren't neccesarily true.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 26/05/2011 15:34

Isn't she entitled to complain, just like the rest of us do?

MoreBeta · 26/05/2011 15:49

She could have reduced her tax bill perfectly legitimately by paying for and taking good advice.

CalamityKate · 26/05/2011 15:50

Couldn't give a hoot about Adele but just looked at the link of Katy Brand imitating her and have come to realise I can't STAND Katy Brand.

She's just not funny, and she ALWAYS has to announce who she's impersonating. Always.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer Aniston!" If you were anyway decent at impressions, luv, nobody would need telling.

noddyholder · 26/05/2011 16:11

Edwardo you have misread. I said most PEOPLE moan about tax. Most YOUNG PEOPLE moan about anything which takes £ from them it takes a while to be financially responsible as an adult. My ds had to retake his sociology A level It was about £50 and dp making him pay it back £5 a week. He thinks it is unfair and didn't pay this week said he couldn't afford it but then ordered a dominos pizza! A lot of young people are very 'its my money'

SpringHeeledJack · 26/05/2011 16:17

yet another name on my Shit List

...gah. run out of space

now having to start a Shit Scroll

EdwardorEricCantDecide · 26/05/2011 16:25

again though thats a lot of generlizations based on your son's behaviour/attitude. i was paying for my own clothes with a paper round at 13yo my own food at 16 and by 18yo i was running my own house as were/are many of my friends.

i'm now 24yo pregnant with my 2nd DC i own my own house pay for my own car and pay my tax etc i've never complained again this seems to be the norm amongst my friends all of similar age.

so i disagree that "Most YOUNG PEOPLE moan about anything which takes £ from them it takes a while to be financially responsible as an adult."

adamschic · 26/05/2011 16:26

She doesn't sound very bright really.

Pagwatch · 26/05/2011 16:40

Of course you can blame things on youth and naivety .
And that does not mean that every person who is the same age would behave the same way.

Saying " oh but I am 23 and I absoloutely would not be so stupid" speaks only to you and your situation.

Now if you say " I am 23 and since I was a teenager I have been groomed for stardom, feted by record producers and have had only a passing relationship with reality for several years - I have also been flattered in interviews and encouraged to adopt a public persona of outspoken ribaldry, and I would not say such a thing " then I would weigh that.

EdwardorEricCantDecide · 26/05/2011 16:46

pagwatch i agree that some young people are niave but it is a generalisation to say most as i say all of my friends have been financially independant from mid teens.

its just the same as making stereotypes (sp?) about someone based on their race gender or religion which is generally never tolerated but yet it's ok to assume things or moan about "young people"

for e.g its acceptable to pay a 16yo less for doing the same job as a 21yo why?

anyway that takes it way off topic i realise i'm now going off on a tangent, will stop now.

MisterDarsey · 26/05/2011 16:48

Agree with OP. Typical showbiz 'personality' I'm afraid

I was thinking of buying one of her albums but don't think i will now

ashamedandconfused · 26/05/2011 16:49

I dont like her, cant stand her laugh

but i opened the link and only read the first line

The singer claims she wanted to 'buy a gun and randomly open fire' when she saw her recent tax bill

what a bloody stupid insensitive thing to say!!

belgo · 26/05/2011 16:50

I agree, it's not her age that is the problem. It's her attitude. At her age I was earning 400pounds/month working full time in a nursing home, weekends as well, and I still accepted that I needed to pay tax.

Maxinemills · 26/05/2011 18:39

Why should anyone have to pay over half their earnings to the government?

Why does every government want more & more of our money yet provide a worse & worse service, regardless of who you vote for?

BertieBotts · 26/05/2011 18:56

Yeah the gun comment was insensitive and stupid. I still like her though. I don't agree that she comes across as "not very bright" in general - why do you say that? Her accent? Hmm

belgo · 26/05/2011 18:57

maxinemills - where I live in Belgium now we have to pay over half our income in tax, and you don't even have to be a high earner to be on the 55% tax bracket. And we pay insurnace for health care. And the roads/public transport are rubbish. (admittedly the schools are good)

Pagwatch · 26/05/2011 19:04

Edwarderic

I don't think I did say most young people did I?

I had left home and was sending money home to my parents when I was 19. I had a mortgage at 24.

I am pretty sure I was still capable of saying dumb fuck stuff from time to time.