This may be unpopular - but what about the squeezed middle?

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They are talking about raising taxes on the average person now. Which will really effect lower middle class families who are already feeling the pinch due to increases in cost of food, gas and electic, increasing childcare costs and rent or morgage increases. They are going to increase pensions and benefits with inflation but lots of middle class earners are not having their wages increased with inflation but will now have their taxes increased. What about help for the middle class, especially lower middle class and working class who earn slightly to much to qualify for any help but will now stuggle with all these increases.

Yes I absolutely it’s extremely worrying. Bloody terrifying the smaller your financial cushion is.
If everyone who felt this way just DOESN’T VOTE TORY again, then we all might see a fairer more distributive tax and benefits system though. This is what Tories do. Always have done. They’re not ‘aspirational’ for anyone’s benefit except their own. That very much doesn’t include 99.9% of normal people in the UK. We ALL deserve a decent standard of living. The UK is one of the richest countries in the world. The solutions to all of this are political.

No having to choose to heat or eat in our household but a definite belt tightening. People like us who did have some spare money but now have less and any we do we hang on to that’s when a recession is coming.

@Cuppasoupmonster no point arguing with stupid, depressing though!

We need to solve this with a raise on inheritance tax and a wealth tax. It’s the only way to ensure they’re not stripping more cash away from people whose incomes, while average on paper, means they can barely afford to survive.

I am in the very fortunate position that I have sacrifices I can make. I do not live a lavish lifestyle but I have already cut my food bill by making adjustments to what we eat (more chickpeas/less chicken for example), I have cancelled my gym membership and will probably have to save less than I currently do each month. So although I am 'feeling the pinch' I can adjust my life to accommodate this. I am acutely aware that there are many out there who don't have the luxury of making these cuts, and that they are really going to struggle. Everyone is going to have to make changes, but it's the people who are already making all possible economies who are going to suffer the most, and there does not seem to be enough help for them.

We need to solve this with a social housing program probably based on business taxes and inheritance tax

However much "wealth" of the middle classes is in pensions - raiding them - taking away savings people have made all their life with the idea they can have a poverty free retirement seems beyond cruel

If I had known that would happen I would have lived my life very differently

IHT is not a Tory tax though.

The Torys won't touch it (except to reduce it). The wails would be too loud.

I don't see Labour getting in at the next election, because at the end of the day when the squeezed middle are confronted with the choice between lower taxes and better services they will pick lower taxes, as they may not have much of a choice.

But the middle class don’t have lower taxes under the Tories. They’re using the middle class to prop up the meagre benefits the working classes get as top ups while the rich don’t pay a penny.

I don't see Labour getting in at the next election, because at the end of the day when the squeezed middle are confronted with the choice between lower taxes and better services they will pick lower taxes, as they may not have much of a choice

Aside from their massive lead, Labour is the party of the NHS and education. I think people are sick of everything not working in this country as the government cuts it all.

So l think Labour will have a landslide.

We are fucked and this started 13 years ago when they started using QE instead of letting the market crash and reset. They have had artificial low rates for years. Normal people are buying new cars every 3 years on finance and trying to live beyond their means. How many sat on their arse during covid getting furlough money. We can afford to pay our mortgage off on what many MNers would look down on a 3 bed ex LA house. We might upsize afterwards after the dust has settled due to having been careful. We haven't taken big risks so we will be fine to weather this storm but I'm sick of financially illiterate people expecting to be constantly bailed out. Whining because they are overleveraged on everything.

Primary teacher. I live alone so no one to share anything with. Seriously considering begging my parents to let their 37 yo move back in as I am really worried that I’m just going to end up in debt as rent, energy food etc. all go up. My job is quite far away so petrol is expensive. Have looked for a new job closer to home, but the school is nice and I love my colleagues, have looked for a place in my school town, but I have been very lucky with the cost of my rent and the fact that my landlord is not paying a mortgage on my house means that it is staying quite low rent for what I get in a ‘naice’ area!

Businesses must be compelled to pay an actual living wage. It is madness you can work 35-40 hours a week but have to claim tax credits/child tax credits to live. Anyone working full time should be on enough money to live. The only exception should be the childcare element of tax credits to allow people to work. It is only since Gordon Brown introduced this that wages have fallen to such low levels. Businesses keeping profits for share holders as their labour costs are kept artificially low by top up benefits.

Yes, they do.

Or if you go by the last manifesto that was published by Labour (Corbyn) the would. I would have paid about 50% more tax under Corbyn than Johnson.

Of course, you can't preempt what the new Tory/Labour manifestos are going to say about the future. But my bet would be that although both parties would increase taxes, the Tories will tax the squeezed middle less than Labour.

It started with thatcher and the council house sell off

That's what's led to the housing crisis , rapidly rising prices and landlords profits

It continued through brexit which has harmed our economy and continues to do so so that's less money in the tax returns

Yes, it’s a concerning time for almost everyone. I hate that tough times always creates divisiveness, jealousy and unreasonableness. I know very few people who aren’t feeling the strain already. We should have empathy for each other.

This is a global problem right now, being felt by everyone I know around the world. It’s not brexit. Let’s get that out of our heads ok. I have family in NZ & Australia struggling to eat too- shitty vegetables at outrageous prices, an iceberg lettuce for $10 and crap like that.

I have felt a bit overwhelmed by the worry as I lost my business during covid too and I don’t have much saved for retirement. I’ve tried to distract myself from constant worry because that doesn’t help.

Things I can do to help: continue to work hard to have a healthy body and mind so as not to burden the NHS with preventable illnesses; look at every possible way to save money including save on energy; make every single thing I eat from scratch as I have already done for 10 years to try and save for a house; shop locally and ditch my Amazon prime membership; volunteer if and when we can, we have been NHS volunteers off and on for years; live frugally even if I don’t need to so that in tough times I can manage well….

I just saw someone on another thread mentioning they will still have uc on like 38k. While I agree nmw is low, upping wages to get over benefit threshold would... Not work

I completely agree with you.

I thought the proposals of limiting how much people have to spend on social care were pretty disgusting really- it's making tax payers spend money on social care so that some people's inheritances are protected.

Inheritance is a massive driver of inequality anyway.

We would fully expect to fund our own social care- having seen the difference in quality between the free care of DH's Nan and the paid care of my DM's parents then I definitely want to pay!

. How many sat on their arse during covid getting furlough money.

I don't really get the furlough hate. How can you expect people to be forced not to go to work, forced to stay home & not spread a virus & not give them any money? And i worked throughout in education.

Businesses must be compelled to pay an actual living wage.

Yes. This for me is the big issue. Even Labour aren’t going to raise minimum wage. I’m repulsed my children are being paid so low. One works at a theme park getting paid shit while thousands line up every day having paid hundreds and hundreds of pounds. I mean where is the cost of living crisis for them?

Fewer people will become net contributors as our population ages.

It will be death by a thousand cuts for services like the NHS.

I thought the proposals of limiting how much people have to spend on social care were pretty disgusting really- it's making tax payers spend money on social care so that some people's inheritances are protected.

and as it wasn't even a % it's completely unequal.

Labour is the party of the NHS and education.

What are they planning to do in those areas that makes you want to vote for them? Genuine question. I didn’t vote last time.

The last time I checked the stats, admittedly a few years ago, 55% of households were net takers from the state. So the exact "middle" are not net contributors at all. I doubt anyone who can be described as "middle" contributes a significant amount more than they take out. The third quartile (50% - 75%) may be net contributors, but nearly all the money that subsidises the net-taker households will be coming from the top quartile.

As a matter of principle, I think taxes on the middle should go up, not so they can subsidise others, but so that half of them are not being subsidised. I think the tax and benefits systems should be structured so that 50% is the upper limit on the proportion of households not paying their own way.

The state pension needs to be means tested (and I say this as someone who wouldn't receive it if it were).

I think that makes sense