Page 11 | Getting vilified as a high earner

MagicMondays · 2023-02-12T20:58:00+00:00

DH and I are both high earners. We do highly skilled and quite niche professional jobs which involved most of our 20s spent grafting, living apart, anti social hours etc when our friends were all having more fun! Both jobs still demand long hours and have a lot of responsibility. We have two DC and it's a struggle to sort childcare that works and make sure one of us is around for them. Our mortgage is huge (cos London) on a run of the mill Victorian terrace. We obviously get no allowances - no personal allowances on income tax, no 30 hours childcare, no child benefit etc. Our tax bill is huge. No issue with any of that. High earners should pay a disproportionate amount into the system to support others/redistribute wealth etc. What I can't get my head around is how much people in the UK seem to dislike people like me. I see it on these boards all the time. People demanding I pay more tax, people complaining high earners are not as deserving as nurses, teachers etc, my own family making unfavourable comparisons with others. We don't live a flash lifestyle at all - ordinary clothes, old car, not really interested in grand holidays, posh restaurants etc. You wouldn't know other than from knowing the jobs we do that we must have a good income. I'm just a bit tired of this idea that people like me are arseholes in some way. I'm really not!

BitOutOfPractice · 13/02/2023 05:18

I’m sure most people working equally long and hard as you for a lot less money would swap your struggles for theirs. Can you say the same? No? Stop moaning then!

rwalker · 13/02/2023 05:21

I get it you have to apologise for any success and assets you have now a days

on a similar thread I bought a house when I was 18 made many sacrifices and had 4 jobs while friends out in flash cars and pissed all there money away

now some on second marriages got massive mortgages the amount of nasty digs I get about it piss me off .I purposely never mentioned yet still get snide remarks like when the interest rate goes up

MrsMurphyIWish · 13/02/2023 05:31

Try being a teacher - I’m not wealthy AND we’re vilified 😆

Clymene · 13/02/2023 05:54

Everybody gets a personal allowance on income tax of £12,750, regardless of how much you earn. I'd have thought, being such a high tax paying individual, you'd know that.

Dyslexicwonder · 13/02/2023 06:03

Clymene · 13/02/2023 05:54

Everybody gets a personal allowance on income tax of £12,750, regardless of how much you earn. I'd have thought, being such a high tax paying individual, you'd know that.

This is easily Google able:

www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates/income-over-100000

Also to those saying " put it in a pension"

www.gov.uk/tax-on-your-private-pension/annual-allowance

Dyslexicwonder · 13/02/2023 06:09

OP I am just through the otherside of the personal allowance taper, I was also paying 14.5 % into my pension. Not complaining about any of it, but if I did an extra day for £500 I ended up seeing less than £100 of it. My DCs are older but losing the free hours would have really hurt.

This level of income buys us a decent life, but not riches beyond our wildest dreams by any stretch.

Snarf23 · 13/02/2023 06:36

Mookie81 · 12/02/2023 22:25

So sick of explaining this.
It's not paid time off you fucking clown.
The wage is for only 4-5 weeks of the holidays, but is spread over the year so we get money during the holidays.

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I was talking to a teacher friend this week, who is looking for alternate work. She was saying this is one of her biggest bug bears about public perception. She apparently works 9-3. When in reality she leaves at 7 and often gets home at 6:30. Often marking at home too. She gets paid 5 weeks holiday. The rest are unpaid and wages averaged out. Some of those weeks she’s still working, planning, even going into school to set up classrooms etc.

Beezknees · 13/02/2023 06:37

I have no issue with high earners.

What I DO have issue with is high earners who moan about how skint they are because they decided to take out massive mortgages and put the kids in private school. High earners who tell other people that they should work harder like them. High earners who do not accept that they are privileged.

Beezknees · 13/02/2023 06:39

Oh and high earners who bang on about not getting "money off the state" as if low earners should be ashamed that they have to rely on top up benefits because their pay is so low. Fuck off with that.

Walkaround · 13/02/2023 07:02

Cobaltnorthstar · 13/02/2023 00:19

"Because most people are not paid the true value of what they produce. They are paid a fraction of that value so that every manager, every person in that organisation that earns more than the lowest paid worker, every shareholder, is creaming some of that value off."

This is absolute nonsense and the fact that a poster would even spout this sort of thing is a reflection of the poor level of education in British society generally and how ignorant people are indulged rather than corrected.

Low paid workers don't necessarily add more economic value than the amount they cost their employers. Often higher paid workers are adding more economic value and some of that economic value is subsidising the lower paid workers. That's particularly the case given national minimum wage. Shareholder capital funds the establishment of the business, cost of set up, infrastructure, etc. That capital requires a return.

And that is why this country is technically rich - because it’s easy to retain and grow wealth from investing pre-existing wealth, but not so easy to make it from employment. The whole system is set up to preserve and protect wealth (hence our banks that are too big to fail and the attractiveness of the country to money laundering oligarchs).

If a society cannot actually function without the labour of the lowest paid, then the labour of the lowest paid is invaluable, but must also by necessity be of low economic value because it is essential. We can’t eat money or shelter in money, after all - we need low paid labour to help grow our food, look after our vulnerable, build our homes, clear away our rubbish, etc. Those doing essential work free up others to do non-essential work that should, but most certainly does not always, enhance the lives of everyone so that we are all freed from just working to stay alive. Unfortunately, the system is skewed so that the wealthiest are not benefiting society much, they are either busy hiding their wealth or being self-indulgent to a sociopathic degree. People on high salaries are not the problem - the paucity of them is, however, a symptom of the problem - wealthy investors are doing a shitty job.

puppacup · 13/02/2023 07:12

The problem is, the UK is a great place to live for the truly wealthy - private schools, private healthcare, enormous properties, plenty of specialists to advise you you how to invest and hide your money from the taxman, and to turn a blind eye to your money laundering activities and taste for football clubs. It’s just not so great for the majority of people who live here any more - the little people who work for a salary, even, apparently, those on a really big salary.

agree with this.

Clymene · 13/02/2023 07:16

Oh I do apologise @Dyslexicwonder. I honestly had no idea.

I don't think the OP is an arsehole but in a cost of living crisis, coming onto a public board to complain that your diamond shoes are too tight is a bit sad.

puppacup · 13/02/2023 07:20

60% of tax is paid by 10% of the people. Imagine if the top 1% go?

It's not as simple as that though because of where the money comes from & how it's paid. The disparity between paye & investments.

"the average rate of tax paid by people who received one million pounds in taxable income and gains was just 35 per cent: the same as someone earning £100,000. But one in four of these paid 45 per cent – close to the top rate – whilst another quarter paid less than 30 per cent overall. One in ten paid just 11 per cent"

VestaTilley · 13/02/2023 07:27

I think YABU - a bit.

My DH is a high earner (I’m just above average because I’m part time), so like you we don’t get 30 hours childcare etc and pay back our child benefit, which I’m fine with. Though it’s a bit galling when I know friends of ours where they’re both on just shy of £100k get more help than us, but there you go…

I don’t think it’s that people dislike us - I think it’s more people dislike the super rich and non doms, to whom the rules don’t seem to apply.

Dyslexicwonder · 13/02/2023 07:29

puppacup · 13/02/2023 07:20

60% of tax is paid by 10% of the people. Imagine if the top 1% go?

It's not as simple as that though because of where the money comes from & how it's paid. The disparity between paye & investments.

"the average rate of tax paid by people who received one million pounds in taxable income and gains was just 35 per cent: the same as someone earning £100,000. But one in four of these paid 45 per cent – close to the top rate – whilst another quarter paid less than 30 per cent overall. One in ten paid just 11 per cent"

This is it.

sleephelp2022 · 13/02/2023 07:34

I mean the fact that you even started this thread says a lot. As do the first few lines...

OP. There are people out there living off the 'average' salary (which isn't bad!) Struggling to make ends meet, unable to pay bills, feed their families etc. And then people like you come here bragging about how much money you earn.

No disrespect but you CHOSE to go down the careers paths you did in order to have the salary you do. So sadly you won't get much sympathy here. There are also plenty of people out there who work ridiculously long hours, away from their family, earning a poorer wage than you. What is your point?

Nobody has an issue with high earners until they brag about it and act all entitled, like I'm sorry, you have on this post. Slightly distasteful given the current climate.

PrincessConstance · 13/02/2023 07:41

Dp has been working with his brother last week, who is all working-class hero vs rich bastards. These rich bastards are a large part of Dp's business revenues.
There's a market for services in each income group. The incessant moaning about inequality has pissed him off. People make choices, my family members have made choices, and his brother has made choices, as has his wife. His brother for instance had a business bought for him he's not made the best of that opportunity, sold it for less than he bought it for. Then moans about working in a factory. His wife has turned down the promotion offered. They seem to drift from one bizarre incident after another, some of them self-inflicted.

Some people view life through a melancholy lens, a life incident is a challenge or opportunity others see a problem.

I'm in the top 25% Dp is in the top 5%.

PremiumTV · 13/02/2023 08:54

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 12/02/2023 21:18

Ermm...she's literally come here asking why she's vilified for being a high earner. If she doesn't want to hear it, she doesn't need to ask.

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And my first sentence was a reply to her question. Duh!

C8H10N4O2 · 13/02/2023 09:52

Jonnywishbone · 12/02/2023 22:33

I net almost 20k a month. How senior are you?

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Continental lead for a strategic practice in a global tech. HTH.

If you are indispensable for even a moment, you have particularly failed in succession planning and growing capable teams.

Its not stressful to take a call or pick up a mail out of hours if you are on top of your game and have built a strong practice and group of capabilities. If you are finding that time consuming and stressful then you have failed to build those skills.

Its utter bullshit to claim that high earners are de facto working under great stress. We have a level of autonomy and control over our teams, the work we take on and our budgets that even regular senior managers can only dream about.

HAND.

Scottishskifun · 13/02/2023 09:57

Ooofff OP I hope you have your hard hat on!

I do get what you mean a bit about vilification (I'm not a very high earner btw but see it a lot) but it's also a coat of living crisis and people's worries spill over to other aspects.
Also many will see your income as the super rich, I appreciate that your not in this bracket but that doesn't mean compared to what they will earn it doesn't feel like this. I also think people like to have a villain in life and its easy for that to be higher income people as majority of people don't know that many!

Reality is though that what you will save getting childcare support each year wouldn't be the same as taking the drop in salary otherwise you and your partner would apply to drop to 4 days a week instead.

I find it easier to not discuss money full stop, we do go on 2 holidays a year and I occasionally get comments from some friends about this. But this is what we choose to save for and spend money on. We have a very cheap lifestyle other than childcare in order to do this and our holidays abroad are cheaper then us staying in Scotland and getting accommodation for a week!

tenthousandmaniacs · 13/02/2023 09:59

Try to socialise with people in the same league as you. People in the UK are proud for being poor for generations (something I’ll never understand). Enjoy your life. Much better being judged for being rich then loved for being poor.

ExistenceOptional · 13/02/2023 10:05

@tenthousandmaniacs No you do not understand. They are not proud of being poor. They are proud of making the best of their life despite being poor. Proud of doing hard and undervalued jobs well and caring about the people they look after that many of these jobs require.

teacher45646 · 13/02/2023 10:34

PrincessConstance · 13/02/2023 07:41

Dp has been working with his brother last week, who is all working-class hero vs rich bastards. These rich bastards are a large part of Dp's business revenues.
There's a market for services in each income group. The incessant moaning about inequality has pissed him off. People make choices, my family members have made choices, and his brother has made choices, as has his wife. His brother for instance had a business bought for him he's not made the best of that opportunity, sold it for less than he bought it for. Then moans about working in a factory. His wife has turned down the promotion offered. They seem to drift from one bizarre incident after another, some of them self-inflicted.

Some people view life through a melancholy lens, a life incident is a challenge or opportunity others see a problem.

I'm in the top 25% Dp is in the top 5%.

What a truly loathsome person you are.

Particularprick · 13/02/2023 10:47

PrincessConstance · 13/02/2023 07:41

Dp has been working with his brother last week, who is all working-class hero vs rich bastards. These rich bastards are a large part of Dp's business revenues.
There's a market for services in each income group. The incessant moaning about inequality has pissed him off. People make choices, my family members have made choices, and his brother has made choices, as has his wife. His brother for instance had a business bought for him he's not made the best of that opportunity, sold it for less than he bought it for. Then moans about working in a factory. His wife has turned down the promotion offered. They seem to drift from one bizarre incident after another, some of them self-inflicted.

Some people view life through a melancholy lens, a life incident is a challenge or opportunity others see a problem.

I'm in the top 25% Dp is in the top 5%.

Top 5% is 'only' £80k. Is this the kind of high income op is talking about?

neverbeenskiing · 13/02/2023 10:50

tenthousandmaniacs · 13/02/2023 09:59

Try to socialise with people in the same league as you. People in the UK are proud for being poor for generations (something I’ll never understand). Enjoy your life. Much better being judged for being rich then loved for being poor.

This, OP, is why high earners are "vilified". This kind of attitude is exactly the reason.

People are not "proud of being poor" for fucks sake. Some people simply manage to retain a sense of pride and self respect despite being poor, something which I'm sure will be inconceivable to you.