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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel that having nearly half of your salary taken away is just not right?

877 replies

WinnieTheWho · 27/05/2012 10:38

I don't earn enough to pay tax & NI but my DH has a pretty good job & salary for which he works BLOODY hard. I was horrified to work out after last pay day that for EVERY £1 he earned, he only kept 60 pence. This is due to a combination of paying very high income tax and NI, as well losing all of his personal allowance because he might get a bonus at the end of the year! It just seems that if you work hard to get paid well and you are a PAYE taxpayer, the Government & HMRC will just shaft you from all angles. It just makes me wonder why we bother? So... AM I BEING UNREASONABLE? Confused

OP posts:
bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:07

Here you go manic.

KatieScarlett2833 · 27/05/2012 17:07

??

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/05/2012 17:07

So tell him not to work so hard and get a less well paid job!

ComposHat · 27/05/2012 17:10

*Compos - she is not complaining about paying tax in general, just the proportion.

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:12

Why should someone have to pay a higher proportion of their income simply because they are in a higher paid job?

manicbmc · 27/05/2012 17:12

Um well that's a lovely presentation that actually is only telling me what the government should be doing but not how it would work at all. It's just a very mediocre bit of propaganda.

What you have proposed will mean less money in the coffers to pay for benefits, health care and education amongst many other things.

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:13

Have a look at the report itself manic.

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:15

Also worth noting that if less tax is taken away from people in the first place you don't need to give it back to them in tax credits.

manicbmc · 27/05/2012 17:15

I did, bumbley. I read it all.

manicbmc · 27/05/2012 17:17

So, as I was saying, it's taking with one hand and giving with another. No one in the middle/low earner bracket would be better off in real terms but there would be less money available to the government to spend on what is necessary.

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:18

I do think there is more to it than just changing the tax system. An awful lot of money is wasted. I just think it is fairer to tax everyone the same proportion of their income.

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:21

manic - not the 400+ pages version obviously... :)

How would you say they are not better off in real terms? I think someone on 15k ends up better off by around an extra £1500 a year. You don't think that's a good thing?

Hopefullyrecovering · 27/05/2012 17:21

I agree that successive governments have wasted huge amounts of hard-earned taxes. There's incredible inefficiency and unnecessary wars and what have you.

I hate these threads that start 'My DH earns X/Y and ...' though. When will women start earning enough so that they can complain in their own right, instead of vicariously. It seems a bit pathetic and feeble to me.

manicbmc · 27/05/2012 17:24

Not better off because they just end up with less tax credits and so end up with the same in real money - but the government still ends up with much less from the high earners and so there is less in the pool of money for essentials. It is unworkable, imo. Plus the high earners will still be avoiding paying as much as the rest of us anyway.

No, I haven't read the 400+ pages.

Morebiscuitsplease · 27/05/2012 17:25

So OP doesn't like self employed who pay less. Self employed do not have the security and benefits that those who are employed do such as sick pay. Would her husband like to become self employed instead? No guaranteed income. There are risks and choices we all make.

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:27

We'll just have to agree to disagree manic. :) I can certainly see the benefits and I do think change is necessary.

TheUnMember · 27/05/2012 17:28

Why should someone have to pay a higher proportion of their income simply because they are in a higher paid job?

Because they can.

manicbmc · 27/05/2012 17:29

It's probably for the best. I'm not changing my mind and I doubt you are changing yours. Smile

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:33

Not necessarily unmember - we've been down this road before. :)

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:34

:) manic

manicbmc · 27/05/2012 17:35

Nice bit of healthy debate for a Sunday afternoon. Smile

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:37

Yep! Something to do while sitting with my feet up out in the garden. :) enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

KatieScarlett2833 · 27/05/2012 17:39

In bed with flu here, trying to get better before tomorrow.

Those goats don't give themselves out y'know Grin

Enjoy your garden bumbley

WasabiTillyMinto · 27/05/2012 17:39

OP if you dont want to be PAYE tax payer, then dont be!

the solution is really simple!!!!

i earn most my income through dividends & yes i pay less tax but if my company doesnt make any money, i would be working for free & mortgaging my house to pay salaries....etc.

so your DH can do this if you want to take the risk, or keep PAYE if you dont.

bumbleymummy · 27/05/2012 17:42

Yuck Katie :( hope you feel better soon. No chance you can get out in the sun a bit?