to hope the government has the guts to tax WEALTHY pensioners more

[ReallyTired]

The Fabian society has suggested that wealthy pensioners pay more tax.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22220345

Some how I can't see a conservative wanting to tax wealthy pensioners more when they all vote Tory.

I find it unfair that pensioners with an income more the average family's income get free bus buses, winter fuel allowance, TV licence as well as paying less tax and national insurance. It is about time that the the wealthy pensioners took their share of the pain of the cuts.

I am in favour of well off pensioners having free bus passes, winter fuel allowance as these things encourage independence and improve health. I would like to see the money for these things clawed back by WEALTHY pensioners paying more income tax.

[handcream]

I'll give myself as an example. Two parent family. Two salaries both at 40%. Lost child benefit. Didnt have more than 2 children because it would have affected what we were planning to do with our lives. Live in the SE where the jobs are and work long hours to ensure that we keep them. One set of parents live in SE, others live 300 miles away.

Have paid large amounts of taxes over the years and taken no career break (my choice of course). When I have finished working after 40 years I will be comfortably off - it would be shocking if I wasnt tbh!

Niceguy is correct. The more you tax the people who are paying for benefits, pensions etc the less chance you have of them staying in the UK.

If you want a Communist country where everyone is 'equal' - well China beckons..... No - I didnt think so!

[HintofBream]

Cloudsandtrees and Thingsetc, quite right.

[mouldyironingboard]

Wealthy pensioners are getting almost no interest on their savings so they are effectively being taxed.

YABVU if you begrudge the wfa to people who survived the war and the aftermath. Rationing continued into the 1950's and most homes didn't have heating or indoor bathrooms. We have it easy in comparison.

[Squarepebbles]

Also most less wealthy pensioners worked hard but in less lucrative jobs without gold plated pensions oh yes like many workers today.

You don't need to be wealthy to work hard.

[handcream]

I agree Square to a certain extent. The housing boom was good for some but really benefitted people in the South East. If you live in some parts of the North or the middle of Wales it passed you by.

My DM retired at 60 as did my PIL's. Of course when that age was set you were only going to live for 10 years at most. Now of course medical treatments are so advanced you could live until you are 90! My PIL's are going strong at late 70's and my DM is in her 80's. All healthy.

[Rosa]

We need to move from income tax to a land value tax. Housing is a huge issue now. Many on high incomes cannot afford a basic family home. Many are stuck in rented paying half their income to a landlord. The time has come for a shift in taxation.

So a pensioner bought the house for £15,000 in what was a pretty cheap area at the time. They saved, renovated ( whilst both of them working, and paying tax) so they would have a house to enjoy when they retired.
Now they have to sell the house which is not in an area that is easy to commute to work.
There is not a huge amount of work in the area but it has actually turned out to be quite a high value area....

But tough they have to pay more tax despite the fact they have done exactly as each government have told them to do tory / labour whatever ... They will not be able to afford to pay a higher tax as they basically are now living off a pension .They lived by the rules.... thats no good now !

[FasterStronger]

I have calculated my household taxes this year and so far am at £76,600 and still counting. I haven't included my dividend tax yet.

no I don't want to pay an more tax than I am already am.

I think people, who aren't disabled or carers need to be more independent from the state.

[FasterStronger]

oh I am excluding VAT as everyone pays that

[Squarepebbles]

Mouldy most people who lived as adults in the war are dead,their children are the baby boomers who have had it easy.Think you've got your history wrong.

[ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm]

Really enjoying this, a rapidly developing trend. The left are turning on the pensioners! Resisting benefit cuts to the feckless,the workshy and the unemployable at every turn, they are actually turning on...........the pensioners ! Please remember this stunning hypocrisy when they start hand wringing about cuts. I'll tell you what, though, I would rather pay to keep the retired couple living opposite me than my next door neighbour (not worked in 35 , yes 35 years - bad back you know, often seen cycling, laden down with paint, dustsheets etc to his latest cash in hand decorating job. ATOS? Bring it on.

[Cerisier]

I would like personal allowances much higher then tax the rest at, say, 50%. Also I think each member of the family should have their own transferable personal allowance. This would reduce the tax burdens on families.

I think everyone should have a personal allowance of space then tax bigger emptier homes more through extending the council charge bands up. This would encourage older couples and single pensioners to downsize.

The current retirement generation are living ten years more than their parents' generation and this is having a big effect on the availability of housing stock.

I am working abroad at the moment. The top tax rate is 20% and VAT is 7%. UK tax rates do need to be competitive to stop a brain drain. Raising tax rates hugely will just send the big earners abroad and reduce the treasury income.

[handcream]

I know lots of pensioners who complain about spending their savings and say it is for the grandchildren or for a rainy day. Well the rainy day is here. The sun will come out one day but you cannot expect to keep your savings intact just because you are older.

We have had to dip into savings. That's what they are there for....

[handcream]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong but didnt nearly 1 million people take themselves out of DLA when the checks were starting to be made?

Please tell me I have got that all wrong...

[FasterStronger]

I would like personal allowances much higher then tax the rest at, say, 50%. Also I think each member of the family should have their own transferable personal allowance. This would reduce the tax burdens on families.

so families pay less, so who pays more?

[handcream]

Faster, single people and the pensioners of course!

[FasterStronger]

what about people saving so they can start their own family? do they pay more tax so people who already have children pay less?

isn't that a disincentive to plan your family responsibly?

why should single people pay for someone else's DCs? isn't that their parents responsibility?

[handcream]

I was joking faster! If I was in charge I would stop child benefit at 2 children and no more than 2 bed houses for people who are having their housing benefits completely paid (or perhaps over 50%).

Building houses for feckless people who have child after child with men who dont support them has got to stop. If you want to have loads of children with no visible means of supporting them 2 bed is the maximum size house you will get.

[Cerisier]

People only have children at home for a short time really. Then their tax bill would go up. A lot of the money seems to be paid in tax then claimed back in tax credits- doesn't that waste a lot of money?

Yes to limiting the money that can be claimed by those on benefits. It is not fair that the tax payer who can't afford three children is paying for others to have more.

[Cerisier]

Single people do need others to have children, who will be the future doctors and policemen. I think there is a collective responsibility to nurture the next generation.

If the birth rate goes down the UK will become like Japan where there are very few children to support the aging population.

[Lazyjaney]

This argument will be largely academic in a few years time, the state can't afford to pay and the people being taxed the most will eventually refuse to pay.

And our kid will most certainly not stay in a country which taxes them for everything and they still can't afford to live in it.

Time for tough choices.

[handcream]

I think limiting the number of children when you are on benefits payment wise will be next. They have already started on the pensioners. Next will be the irresponsible (cannot think why they didnt start with them tbh!).

It really sends out a terrible message that when you are working you have to limit your children and when you arent you can do what you like.

If as some say there are very few of the feckless with 4 plus children. Well, it wont take very long then to sort this out.

[niceguy2]

If you want a Communist country where everyone is 'equal' - well China beckons..... No - I didnt think so!

Erm China is communist in politics but in practice it is anything but. The gap between rich & poor in China is far far higher than in the UK.

If you want a country where everyone is equal then I think the only places left is North Korea. And like all communist countries past & present, some are more equal than others.

[pigletmania]

Yabvu so people are being taxed for saving for their future an making provisions. Pensioners also payed tax when they were working

[FasterStronger]

I think limiting the number of children when you are on benefits payment wise will be next.

the 26k cap is a version of this. particularly if you don't increase it.

[handcream]

Oh blimey - anyone for North Korea then....

Yes, I agree, it didnt work for the Russians (although it clearly 'worked' for some of them!) as they are some of the richest in the world. How did that happen...