A voluntary Covid contribution/tax for those who can afford it?

[MorrisZapp]

I've thought about this a lot. We know the Covid crisis is causing problems at every level of society and that the knock on effects will last a long time, possibly a lifetime.

People are skint, people have lost their jobs, the NHS is at the absolute edge and we all know people who have struggled to get appropriate care.

However, there are lots of people like me. I didn't lose my job, I saved up during lockdown because there was nowhere to go. I probably won't go abroad for years.

I would happily make a voluntary tax donation to help ease this crisis if and only if it was guaranteed to be ring fenced for the NHS and for people struggling because of the knock on effects of Covid.

Would anyone else offer up a voluntary tax, in these unprecedented times? I'm selfish by nature btw, I want normal life back. If others are helped then all the better.

As far as I'm aware there is no charity I can donate to that will recruit, train and resource the NHS. But that's what I want to help with, ultimately helping us all.

Don't vote Tory.

@Hoolihan

Don't vote Tory.

Yup

Don't vote Tory, absolutely. Don't give to things that the government should be funding. Give to food banks and winter coats for children etc charities.

Donate with your vote or here nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/

Don’t think there’s a way to top up your tax contributions, but If you’re in England you could sign up for an NHS volunteer role - patient transport, dropping in on someone requiring a bit of support etc. It’s a small way to help, but reduces the need for some community roles

I think the money would be better spent donating to charities which have suffered loss in income because of the reduction in numbers of fundraising events. Particularly small local charities. For example we have a local charity which provides services to young people locally. They are very small and have very few paid staff. Virtually all the money you donate goes to the cause.

I don't see the need for a further tax for the NHS as we are all paying one from next April anyway.

Nope this government wouldn’t spend it properly anyway just like the national insurance increase won’t go where needed either.

I've never voted tory. I assume they'll win the next election though and even that is two years away.

There is only so much money though whether the government is Tory or Labour or whoever. Spend more on one thing the it's less on another. Schools, NHS, Social care all very difficult to balance.

@berlinbabylon

I think the money would be better spent donating to charities which have suffered loss in income because of the reduction in numbers of fundraising events. Particularly small local charities. For example we have a local charity which provides services to young people locally. They are very small and have very few paid staff. Virtually all the money you donate goes to the cause.

I don't see the need for a further tax for the NHS as we are all paying one from next April anyway.

I totally agree with this.

Other worthy causes could be domestic violence charities. That soared during the pandemic. Or al lot of animal shelters are absolutely on their knees locally because of all the unwanted lockdown pets.

If people want to pay extra tax, there are already mechanisms to do so.

No. Until it can be guaranteed the govt will not burn money away on some other ill thought crackpot scheme, then no.

Labour would spunk it on something stupid too, btw

Money is there just not taxed effectively - if we got tax from people who used legal loopholes to evade paying their fair share we wouldn’t need voluntary tax contributions. Shame the super super rich don’t have the same thinking that you do. It’s a government for the rich than the every day person. They have used the pandemic to line the pockets of their friends with the business they have sent their way.

They will already be demanding increased National Insurance from my hard earned wages from employment. Whilst wealthy pensioners, buy to let landlords and those who live off assets (CGT etc) pay nothing extra.

No thanks.

I pay more than enough tax already - 60% on some of my income. If the Government aren't able to allocate that properly, that's on them.

Personally, no!

We already pay thousands in tax a month. As a higher income household (not a stealth boast or humble brag) we pay lots of tax. If this was managed effectively (NHS doing well, support networks for people in need, communities doing well, effective central and local government) then higher tax would be supported by us. However it is so so poorly managed that I wouldn't volunteer more money to be thrown into the pit of poor decisions.

We all get screwed by taxes left right and centre (people think that the more you earn the more you can afford to pay, which is right up to a point - after a time however it becomes ridiculous that you're always the first port of call for people to judge and say you should be paying more) and the country has nothing to show for it. It's just managed terribly!

We decide to support local causes that matter to us, we'd rather do that anonymously and see the impact in our local area than lump more to the government.

I would happily make a voluntary tax donation to help ease this crisis if and only if it was guaranteed to be ring fenced for the NHS and for people struggling because of the knock on effects of Covid.

Go on then. Send a cheque to HMRC. Or look for a local hospital fundraising for a scanner or something.

But voluntary is just that. You can't then sit in judgement over those who choose not to contribute.

Personally, I think pouring more and more cash into an organisation with the NHS, with no accountability and nobody asking the hard questions about HOW we should be funding healthcare, and whether free for everyone is the best model, is just as effective as pouring your money down the drain.

But as taxpayers, we already ARE paying for the NHS, and people who have lost their jobs aren’t. But they are claiming benefits, funded again by taxpayers. Are you basically suggesting an income tax rise? That would be simpler and have the same effect.

Or are you suggesting competent government that doesn’t abandon the poor to food banks paid for by local private citizens on a random ad hoc basis and leave them pulling out their own teeth because of lack of NHS service? In which case I agree competent government would be very helpful right now. Unfortunately it is not on the horizon and no political party seems to be moving in that direction.

😭

@LampLighter414 buy to let landlords pay the same tax on their earnings as everyone else. Do you think they are exempt ?

I feel like the more we allow ourselves (as a society) to be conditioned to view the NHS as a charity, the easier it'll be for the government to argue that it doesn't work properly and privatise it. (This would, in my view, be a bad thing. For clarity.)

The NHS isn't a charity. Anyone who's ever worked, bought a product with VAT on it, or received jobseeker's, carer's or bereavement allowance (and any other taxable state benefit) has paid into this system.

Beware the creeping and insidious attempts to hobble it yet further by getting people to think of it as a 'cause' that needs voluntary support.

Landlords don't pay National Insurance.

National Insurance is only paid on income from labour, was the original point. Even then, only direct income, get delayed salary via a pension, and no NI to pay.

No. I'm already paying more than enough tax. And there's no chance in hell I would voluntarily pay more into this huge mismanaged money pit that is the NHS.

No! Plenty of other methods to sort out the NHS - tax cigarettes, alcohol, junk food, cars which pollute more than others, etc. Taxes on items that have a demonstrable impact on human health is justifiable for the NHS.

Its not my job to protect the NHS; health is foremost a personal responsibility. If we have to tax people/companies with bad habits that directly affect human health, that is much more fair.