How much do you earn and who do you vote for

[Beautifulbabyboy]

So inspired, by another thread that contained the words "labour are cancer" I am genuinely interested in the correlation between what people earn and who they vote for. Is anyone else interested in this?

Our household income is £125k pa and we vote labour, even though we would be worse off, because I think we should help society as a whole.

fuzzy it may be a slightly silly hypothetical question, but tax at that level is not beyond the realms of possibility. It's not that long ago that the marginal rate of tax was 98% on income over £20k (think that's about £185k today)

Fuzzywizard - I did think of pointing out that the hypothetical level of £50k was too low (I'd have though that £100k or more was more likely - and an intermediate rate before impinging to 75%) but I didn't want to start arguing on the figures. I've not been following the contest in detail as I'm not a member of the Labour Party and won't ever vote Labour again

Combined income of £53k.

SNP/Green.

I detest austerity and the loss of health services, welfare provision and education on the basis of this lie.

I'm not saying that we'll never have those levels of taxation and if they are necessary then so be it... All in this together and all that. Voting for Jeremy Corbyn in 5 years time won't bring it about though.

In terms of higher taxation though... If I'm paying for a better NHS, better schools, better respite services for carers, care assistants that are properly trained and paid for all the time that they work rather than being forced to work for less than minimum wage because their travel time isn't counted as working, renationalising the railways (a good bloody investment), better maternity and paternity provision, a modern prison system... Yep, I'm in.

Stripeysocks - I understood what you meant and as I'd said, we're all different, which is why I'd said I wasn't motivated by the money. I didn't work the stupidly long hours to get the bonus which more than doubled my basic salary although I had colleagues who did I did it out of a sense of professional responsibility and personal integrity. (I hasten to add - I'm not suggesting that you don't have integrity - I'm just trying to describe what drove me).

I remember my 2nd boss (who took over from the guy who recruited me) saying that he liked to employ divorced men with high maintenance bills/children at private schools as he knew they'd slog their guts out. He never did work me out and bullying me didn't work - but did eventually come to respect me as I delivered results which kept his own bonuses coming

From the few responses to my hypothetical question, it is interesting that people say they would still vote labour. Have to say I'm not convinced that would be replicated throughout the country.

About £85K. DH is solid Lib Dem, I switched from Lib Dem to Labour at this year's election.

After various events as a child under Thatcher/Major and the last 5 years working in the public sector under Cameron and co, I will never vote Conservative.

My salary is around 50k and my preference is lib dem (of the centre right, economic liberal, orange book variety, so not as keen under Tim Farron) or Tory.

I'm sorry lazy but I think from your post you've totally missed the obvious. It isn't that more wealthy people vote labour than tory, it's that those who do are proud to say so. I suspect there are a lot of high earning tories shying away from confessing on this thread lest they be seen as selfish.

The responses on this thread are probably just a reflection of how the demographics of Mumsnet are hugely different to the UK in general, with disproportionately high incomes and left wing views.

Nationally the typical labour voter is more likely to be a very low paid manual worker and a significant percentage of these are moving over to UKIP as they consider that the things they need such as affordable housing and jobs are being taken by eastern Europeans willing to live in cramped conditions while they save up money that they can take home in a few years and support their families to a good standard (buy a house outright etc).

Our household income is £15k pa and we vote Labour because the Tories only care about themselves.

Fuzzy - like you I don't believe that tory voters hate the poor (or the NHS or whatever), but I think they don't understand how Tory policies affect the most vulnerable. I have lived with a severely disabled child under Labour, under a coalition & now under the Tory government. Government policies affect him in a way they just do not affect my younger children (although cuts are starting to affect schools more now - my younger two can absorb a lot more cuts without being affected though).

I can't see how anyone could vote Tory if they genuinely understood what Tory policies do to people like my son.

And I also agree labour are losing voters to UKIP. It was shocking that they didn't win our local seat - that was due to UKIP taking a chunk of labour votes

I think if such high levels of taxes were introduced we would see a lot of people moving out of UK to countries where taxes are lower. We live in a very global jobs market now particularly for those who are very high earners. And let's face it, those who pay the highest rates of tax are probably not too bothered about improving the NHS or state education as they are unlikely to use these services. This is where I think idealism and realism clash as in theory it's great but in reality I think you'll lose as much as you put in (I'm no economist as you can tell so happy to be proved wrong) by people simply leaving.

Yes, I remember (just) when the UK had an upper rate of tax of 98% (and my NHS worker father paid 66% on his upper income (and an aditional 15% on building society interest so up over 80% tax on that interest!!). It was dreadful. People genuinely did leave the country and people stopped working very hard. WHy bother? It's bad enough now when the state confiscates half your money. If I didn't have chidlren to support (as their father chooses not to) would I have been up at 6am at my desk today working? Yes the state will steal about half and then of the other half a good bit of that will go on VAT and the rest but if it got much higher no way would I bother. Also all I need to work is an internet connection. I've done it from Panama, much of Europe, Iran even. I genuinely do not have to be here and the children leave school soon. If Labour get in in 5 years' time and if tax rates go up then I might well just sit somewhere warmer instead. Gibraltar has a new capped flat tax you can opt into - you pay a flat rate and it is capped/limited.

One issue that doesn't come up much is that those of us paying a lot of tax never really feel very appreciated. I know people think we are spoilt and rich and are lucky to have the higher income but it does make you feel what is the point. It would be dead easy for HMRC to send out some kind of certificate as people pay each £10k of tax each year saying wow you are a bronze or gold tax payer well done keep up the hard work, it means so much to the less fortunate. They could give you book tokens at certain levels or invitations to HMRC or No 10 parties.

certificates from HMRC??? Ffs. How crass.,DH is a higher rate tax payer & has been for years - he gets FAR more OUT of the tax system than he put in. Have a severely disabled child - you'll soon realise how all of us are only a blink of an eye away from needing services paid for by taxation.

I'm on 20k and voted Green in the last GE, after voting Labour every time in the past. I may one day be swayed towards the SNP, I'm not sure.

DH earns 62K and has always voted Labour.

Anyway if you're handing out certificates give them to the low paid who pay more in a proportion of income on tax that all those who think they deserve it.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-poor-are-paying-a-bigger-proportion-of-tax-than-the-rich-and-the-gap-is-widening-10353954.html

It sounds like my certificate of high tax paying is not very popular. The point of it is not because it is morally better to work 7 days a week and pay a lot of tax rather than stay at home ironing your husband's socks, but because if you piss off higher rate tax payers you take in less tax and the less well off suffer. So it is simply an idea to help keep on board higher earners and make them realise that working half the year for the state is worth it. 25% of us are net putters into the system not takers out so we 25% will never be much appreciated as most voters are in the taking more out than putting in section. Fair enough but if Labour bring in very high taxes or a mansion tax then people leave, there is less tax and the less well off suffer.

And one disabled child later, or one car crash later, or one stroke later (anything requiring social care - private medical insurance won't cover that) those net putters in woud be takers out.

One issue that doesn't come up much is that those of us paying a lot of tax never really feel very appreciated

Why do you need the appreciation of strangers to acknowledge that you are lucky enough to earn a high salary and probably have a better standard of living than most others.

Household income > £140k snd SNP.