Question time man top 5 percent.

[refraction]

Did anyone see the man on QT asking about tax?

Apparently he doesn't even think he is in the top 50 percent of earners.

All doctors earn more apparently and solicitors.

How out of touch with reality?

He didn't come across well and very out of touch.

Funnily enough it’s a direct response to the question asked of me in the post above logjam

@Passthecherrycoke And you don’t, do you? - who was that for? - or was it just a random thought that came into your head?

I do see that and the man was saying he was not in top 5% (not 50%).
He is actually in top 1%.
But 1% is just 1 in 100 people. The actual rich are the 0.01%, not the 1%. So he has a point that a labour tax advertised as taxing “the rich” is going to affect more nonrich people than rich people. The real rich people are those getting millions a year.
You can’t compare a lawyer on £80k to the Beckhams on their joint £10m+/yr income even though they are both “the 1%” and they can afford tax shelters and tax avoidance accountants that a person on £80k cannot. It will be like Trump bragging how he paid less tax than his personal assistant.

So, yes he was wrong, he is in 1% but the focus on the 1% is really misdirection.

As I have already said are there not more jobs in London paying higher salaries?

I think I get you now Pass - you'd like the whole of MN to know that you earn more than £80K and you don't even live in London, amazing, well done! But we were all talking (well I was) generally about the whole population - it wasn't about you - sorry again should have been clearer. Well done, you are amazing though!

Whopiedo I don’t know why you keep asking me that. You don’t have to live in London to earn £80k. You don’t even have to live in London to work in London. That’s what I’ve said on this thread and You know all of this anyway.

Why do you keep asking me whether there are more jobs paying £80k in London than elsewhere? It doesn’t relate to anything I’ve said.

@refraction The guy on Question Time came across as a total pillock.

It's like when you see people on here claiming to earn the 'low 6 figures,' (so like £150K a year or so,) and this is a fairly normal salary in their circle of friends... '

Then they claim their DH earns the same. And I think 'LOL no he doesn't!' (And you don't either!)

Less than 5% of the UK population earn 6 figures or more per year, and I doubt any of them post on here.

Actually I’m trying to make the point that the whole country is not about London, If you were following....

You can’t compare a lawyer on £80k to the Beckhams on their joint £10m+/yr income even though they are both “the 1%”

They’re not both in the top 1%. The £80k lawyer is in the top 5%. Are they putting something in the water tonight?

The poor dummy on QT didn't seem to mind the idea that the top 5% of earners should pay a bit more tax.

But his stunning ignorance in thinking that £80k is within the bottom 50% of earners!

he was fierce and aggressive shouting his nonsense.

I wonder if he will ever be persuaded that he was wrong.

All those people who say that £80k isn't a lot in London....how do they think people manage on less than half of that wage in London?

Where does combined incomes come into this? Are couples who earn >80k rich?

@chomalungma personally I think it depends on circumstances. Someone may earn less but have a teeny mortgage & loads of equity.

Is that directed me? Are you usually such a sanctimonious a hole

If you were directing that at me - then it's not directed at you.

It's a comment on the many people who have said that £80k isn't a lot in London...

There are many people on far far less in London. How do they cope?

personally I think it depends on circumstances. Someone may earn less but have a teeny mortgage & loads of equity

I don't know how London operates. Many people rent, rely on social housing,minimum wage jobs, housing benefit....I honestly have no idea how it works.

I like this calculator
calculate.forlabour.com/

If I have it right, a person earning £82,000 would pay an extra £100 a year in tax.

£1.92.

Fcku me.

All those people who say that £80k isn't a lot in London....how do they think people manage on less than half of that wage in London?

^this

It’s plenty.

At the end of the day, the reality is most of the population do not earn £80k or close.

The reality is also that there are the super rich who are sucking so much wealth out of the economy, that there’s less for everyone else.

The trickle down effect doesn’t work.

There is a lot of evidence for a 'bubble' when you think about how you fit in compared to everyone else.

I think the QT person just sits in a bubble. He lives in Bolton though - and £80k must go a long long way in Bolton.

I think it's interesting to look at median earnings in cities, in towns etc -and then there would be a massive difference

The median income in London vs the median income in Manchester vs the median income in Goole.

not to you @chomalungma.

In terms of how it works take my typical London street you have someone in their 60s/70s mortgage free in a now million pound house plus 2nd home or buy to let maybe living on 20-30k. Then you have the 40-50 yr olds on 80-100k combined maybe with 1 part timer in a 1m house that cost maybe 450k. Then you have the 20-30 yr olds earning 70-80k each paying either very high rents or mortgage costs plus potentially high childcare costs. I wouldn't be able to "afford" what I have if I was 5 yrs younger.

It’s all relative really

If JC gets the keys to No. 10, the people have spoken.

The rich will be taxed heavily and will very quickly move their money and themselves out of the U.K.

That will cause a tax black hole which JC will have to fill to keep his election promises.

The now “new” rich, as the old rich will have left the U.K. with their money, will then be targeted as they are then the “filthy” rich

Then listen to the cries of “That’s not fair, I am not rich”

I remember before the 1997 when there were constant news reports about how the rich were going to leave the UK in hordes if Labour won the election, and it all came to nothing.

Having said that...I don't trust JC at all and don't want him to be prime minister. And I don't want Boris Johnston to be prime minister either, as I think the Tories have no idea of how ordinary people live, and care even less. (But since neither party is fielding a candidate in my constituency, I have no way of influencing what party comes to power anyway)

I live in central London with one child and less than 20k income. I genuinely don't feel poor. I'm agog at 80k not being enough for anyone/anywhere. I have to make choices about where my money goes so don't drink, smoke or do any socialising that isn't an activity for my son, but I definitely don't feel poor. I do however see poor people living in my local park, it's heartbreaking and disgusting in equal measure.

@EngTech I agree. It is all relative.

Many people find it easy to spend all the money they have, and then moan about being hard up.

But earning a lot, and spending it all, does not mean you are not a high earner.