I don’t want to pay less National Insurance, I’d like a better funded NHS

[CormorantStrikesBack]

🤷‍♀️

obviously I appreciate I’m in a position to think that, but I’m not on a huge wage. I’m glad if it helps people who are struggling but I’m also worried about the nhs, school funding, etc.

They don’t seem to be managing now, I can only imagine it will get worse. There are councils going bankrupt and cutting services, respite care, libraries, etc.

id rather carry on paying what I’m paying than risk such services been funded even less.

2% in my sky rocket or 2% to fund an army of Directors of lived experiences or whatever?

I'll keep my 2% and hopefully be able to pay my mortgage and put food on the table. And maybe, just maybe if the highest tax burden in generations leaves anything at the month, I can spend £20 in the Great British economy to get some growth going.

Why not just voluntarily pay more tax if you feel so strongly about it?

For those saying nhs has money but it needs to be spent better…

The NHS has untold £billions thrown at it. It is run by overpaid, corrupt managers who employ pointless diversity consultants rather than medical staff. It needs to be reformed

NI is divided into two, the amount the employee pays and the amount the employer pays. Looking back they have been juggling with theses percentages over the last few years. Overall the net amount raised from NI stays the same but each year they raise or lower one or the other. A bit smoke and mirrors but the employer NI has always been more than the employees.
Since most of us are employed we don’t really notice or care what our employer pays, we are only really bothered an out our own bottom line.
To those who are feeling philanthropic, there’s no need the gov have been raking in sufficient revenue from employer %increase a few years ago to fund your 2% cut this year.
Many companies get round the massive employer NI bills by only employing part time workers who work maximum hours but keep them under the 0% NI limit thereby paying no NI for a large percentage of their employees.
The big supermarkets are very good at reducing their NI bills this way. I don’t know how this affects the part time workers ability to claim state pension in the future though.
Anyone who has worked part time should check to see whether they qualify for a full pension. You can make voluntary contributions to make up for any shortfall.

From Taxaid

e) Lower Earnings Limit
If your earnings in any job are less than the Lower Earnings Limit (£123 per week for 2022/23), then you will pay no National Insurance and you will earn no National Insurance benefit rights.

Looks like I’ll have to find £900 a year to top up, or massively grow my business.

This was answered in about the second post if you actually care to read any of the thread. Like others have pointed out it’s a childish response. Feel free to have a different opinion to me but please if you’re going to bother commenting try and make more of an effort.

I agree with this. I know people in high paying NHS admin roles with zero qualifications. It is disgusting tbh. I feel sorry for the medical staff who have trained for years who are on the same pay structure and probably lower banding.

I totally agree. Also, I will never vote for anyone who threatens to cut income tax (unless for the low-paid), as it’s the fairest form of taxation.

You could move to Ireland then? Population is 5.5 millions, HSE got 22.5 billion awarded for 2024 in the budget of Taxpayers money, unless you are entitled to the medical card or GP visit - have to be below a certain income to get it. Every one else pays aprox 60e to visit their GP - with a months waiting list or more for appointments in my doc. You have to pay for your prescriptions aswell up to a max of 120e. Visit to A+E is 120e if you are not admitted nor sent to by the doctor. Most population have health insurance which costs about 1k a year per person - more for elderly (Mother in law pays 4k for hers) I am amazed hat you have a health service that is free for all ( technically) Cant afford to be sick here

@TodayInahurry sounds like you’ve been reading the daily mail. The nhs is one of the largest and most diverse organisations so yes, diversity leads help integrate multiple cultures/people with different needs etc into a well functioning organisation. For example, identify things like the fact black women and babies have significantly worse outcomes than white women and babies, highlighting the difference and ensuring midwives learn the differences in skin colours eg. What a “blue” oxygen deprived black baby will look like and how they can check (looking inside the lips).

understanding diversity saves lives and improves outcomes for patients… the daily mail hates this and ignores the facts. These roles are a very small part of the budget but, done well, make a difference.

It's like pouring water into a bucket full of whopping great holes

Spot on.

I agree that sounds worse but not really anything to do with this thread? 🤷‍♀️. Totally different situation and uk national insurance contributions has no bearing on it?

Personally I’d be happy to pay a certain amount to see a GP if it meant I could se one. I was looking at private online GP services recently.

My work staff fb group (nhs hospital) nkw has a thread on it from the hcsw saying that from April their band 2 wage is minimum wage. So they’re saying they’ll leave. Why put up with the stress if you can get the same wage working in a shop or a bar.

Well I agree we need to pay more OVERALL but NI is the one of most unfair taxes there is. We definitely need a reduction in that (or even better have it abolished!) And make up the difference in income tax and council tax (bandings need updating though). It makes no sense that pensioners, landlords etc don't pay it.

See I don't agree with this at all. Plenty of countries have good medical care. People put in more than we do but hardly everything.

Or we could emulate a country with a decent healthcare system?

Yep. Also people in Comms and marketing. Marketing what? It's not like we have a frigging choice about using the bloody thing.

Anyway I'm sure all of our council tax bills are going to be massive next year so we'll be paying plenty of tax. Hopefully that will make OP happy.

Nonsense, per head of population, the NHS gets far worse funding than French German or Italian health systems and the NHS has this lower funding for decades.
On management, it needs more and better people running it, so medical staff don't (as my DD did) spending hours of each day doing admin roles, such as ringing around trying to find social care workers or nursing home places to free up beds, the discharge team were just over stretched.

Anyway......... reform will cost money, you still need to have a 24/7 service as you "reform" whatever that means

The more we spend on the NHS, the crapper it gets.

Maybe the answer lies elsewhere.

Private companies in the NHS are (one reason) why we need an NHS marketing dept... along with campaigns, public info....
The Communications and Marketing team includes Media and Campaigns, Internal Communications and Engagement, Marketing and Events, and Strategic Engagement. They provide excellent public service communications that support our strategic goals and enable services to operate effectively

How or what you call it? or is it just another ill informed comment?

This is silly, Comms and marketing are needed in all sectors, it's not only about adverts

Eg getting the word out about COVID vaccination, ensuring harder to reach communities got vaccinated, addressing concerns about side effects - that's your Comms and marketing team potentially saving lives

Or setting up pharmacists to give out the pill etc - won't work without Comms and marketing to tell people that's happened

People always cut Comms and marketing thinking it's bullshit then wonder why nothing they do is effective and all their customers/service users disappear

I think the cut is really about setting a trap for labour, they'd have to whack it back up again and that would be unpopular

The Tories see the whole thing as a game, they don't care about the actual world

I don’t trust the Tories with anything. Only today the Hime Secretary called Stockton “a shithole” while in the House of Commons. This is indicative of the disregard and unprofessionalism that so many of them have.