To say - public sector workers pay tax

[woundedplacerias]

Sorry, that's it. It's a taat and I'm tired and have had but ffs - public sector workers and tax payers are not two discrete groups.

Yanbu. This always bugs me too.

YANBU.

Yep. And when idiots say to the police "I pay your wages", the police also pay tax, council tax and national insurance, so they pay their way too.

Also, gold plated pensions? Police pay between 12% and 14.5% of their wages into their pensions, is not like they pay nothing.

No one seems to complain about the military getting decent pension, and they pay no contributions at all (my DP is Navy).

On the plus side, it is an easy way to mark people as idiots.

I don't get why anyone would ever point it out at all. Tax payers get to exercise their authority over the public sector every five years on Election Day - other than that, as a public sector worker, I couldn't give a crap what any individual tax payer thinks of me (just on the basis of their being a tax payer, that is). I still have my organisational structure, line manager, workplace policies, none of which have anything to do with anyone who doesn't work with me.

Gets right up my nose when people imply that public sector workers aren't tax payers. Along with the implication that we work less hard and lead cushy lives.

Exactly op. So annoying.
Also slightly annoying: teachers v parents. There's a big group who are both.

Yep. I get hugely annoyed by this too. Gold plated pensions couldn't be further from the truth - and our pay has declined in real terms hugely over the last few years. Pension contributions for me have doubled since 2008 and I will have a far worse deal when I retire, and that's if retirement is even an option in 30 years time. With the changes to the civil service compensation scheme that have just been imposed, we are under attack on all sides and the media fuel the fires in a similar way to the vitriol directed at benefit claimants.

YANBU.
Pay isn't amazing and a big percentage of salary goes into pensions. No bonus. No perks like lunches paid for.
People could always move into the public sector if they thought it was all that amazing....

I had a pupil say to me once "I pay your wages!" It came out of nowhere at the start of a lesson - hadn't even told him off (yet). Can only assume he had had a talk with mum/dad - or had his ear bashed by them.

I had a brief chat with the class about how taxes work and who pays them, and within minutes it was, "But you pay your own wages then!" I replied that I did not see it that way, but he was outraged on my behalf. It was gratifying

Agree, Boney. And unfortunately there is always a knob that thinks they're being some kind of warrior by pointing it out.

I am tired of the implication of a cushy life that somehow escapes the burden of paying tax.

Whaaattttt vivienne the military pay no contribution! Wtf!

YADNBU btw

I've had that
"I pay my taxes"
What do you think I pay, scotch mist?!

I work for the county council. I also pay council tax and all other applicable taxes, but I still get this. Worse, when I'm out in public identifiable as a council employee I get people coming up to me and going "so, what are you going to do about my rubbish/neighbours/flat/council tax/benefits/kids school. None of which I do or can do anything about. Then I get shouted at. It fucks me right off

socksrocks I think that some people dont understand the difference between elected representatives like councillors and council employees

"Scotch mist" that's a phrase that takes me back hollin

I use it a fair bit

I remember a colleague getting in huge amounts of trouble when she had a lady giving her a tirade of verbal abuse over non-payment of a benefit. Lady had missed a deadline so the payments were frozen until we got the relevant paperwork back from her. She ended her tirade with a triumphant "I pay your wages!". Colleague tapped a few keys on the keyboard then told her "actually madam, you've been in receipt of Income Support since you were 18 so I think you'll find that I pay your wages!"

5 years since this public sector worker had a pay rise.

Take the number of minutes you work per year and divide it by the number of tax payers in the area/country =2 minutes (for example )

"Actually your taxes pay for two minutes of my time per year and you've used them up yelling at me"

Like that idea TVWife. :)

As an NQT, I am paid buttons for my job. However, I earn just enough to qualify for paying all the taxes! Isn't that good of them?!? 😑

The bigger question is why do they pay tax, surely it would be more efficiency for public sector workers to be paid a smaller salary and no tax, seriously the organisations are employing account etc to do this stuff and the money goes round in a circle.
With your other argument Yanbu.

Because public sector workers pay usually goes up a minuscule small amount the longer they work. To be paid not enough to qualify for tax would mean that they would forever be paid almost nothing.