to think that 6000 per month is excessive for the government to take off my pay for tax?

[tootaxed]

Surely there should be a maximum limit that each person has to pay as tax? Six grand per month in tax is just excessive imo. And that is before NI contributions etc. If the government set a maximum tax limit they would take more care over how they spent their central funds. And I wouldn't have to work so many hours away from my DCs only to have 72 bloody grand a year taken off my income to fund their mis-spending.

I know. I'm seeing someone who is 70 at the weekend which will be disastrous, I know already. I don't know what women see in these much older men other than their money and the prospect they will die soon or something.

I found out... he did not marry someone older and richer, she is a pretty little thing about 40 years younger than he is as one might expect but not Chinese.. or even Singaporean so I was wrong...

"So what did you see in the millionaire Paul Daniels when you first met him..." Mrs merton I think asked his young pretty new wife or something.

Easier than as women working 100 hour weeks I suppose.

"Mr. Rogers, who is 57 and has been married twice before, was struck by Ms. Parker right away. ''She's a natural blonde, and there aren't many of those left,'' he said. ''She has this very pure, innocent beauty, which you don't find very often, especially in New York.''

The next day, he called and said: ''Something magic happened. Let's pursue it.''

Two weeks later, Ms. Parker flew to New York for their first date. ''Jim has a bicycle built for two, and we rode that over to Central Park, to the Boathouse Cafe for dinner,'' said Ms. Parker, now 31. ''It was fabulous! At that first dinner, he said, 'I'm thinking a lot about going around the world again.' And I said, 'Sign me up!' ''

Soon, Mr. Rogers began introducing Ms. Parker to his New York friends, including Ms. Cary. ''Paige is the ultimate very pretty Southern belle,'' Ms. Cary said. ''I thought: 'Oh my goodness, she's this sweet little thing. How is this going to work?' because Jim can be tough. He can be a lot to take on. But I've seen Paige's strong side come out.''

Xenia - 70 is too old for you - isn't it? Too big an age gap and there is a culture void which is just tedious. If you already have your own money you don't need to compromise to that extent. I can't think of anything worse than an old wrinkly man with 70 year old teeth and erectile dysfunction.

'Let's not knock long hours for those that like them and they as sure as Hell are more fun than no pay and baby minding 365 day a year.'

I beg to differ.

To some people they are....

I'm always amazed at some of the mahoosive wages people can earn in the city.

We take almost six months to bring home £6000 for a family of four. It's not easy at all, but possible.

choice is an awful thing isn't it

Xenia, I have a bit of a problem with your comment that you could decide to move if you got "fed up with supporting the poor".

You may own an island but you aren't one - in some ways the poor support you. We are all part of society and the richer ones among us, much as they would like to distance themselves from the poorer, are still part of that interdependent relationship.

NOw, now we always get this why have children and work thing and it's never applied to men. It's misogynistic and sexist. But the higher your salary the tougher your hide - it's water off a duck's back. Higher earning women tend to be cleverer and better mothers anyway.

(70, I'm sure. We'll see. 58, my last boyfriend was too old too).

There is money to be made by people who want to whatever their gender. The Times (2 section) has a short article on mothers starting businesses from home.

Anyway some men loving being home all day with babies (and women) and some don't but I would have thought on any objective analysis having children and working is the better option as you get the advantages of both which is why most parents choose to work I suppose and always have done.

"Higher earning women tend to be cleverer and better mothers anyway."

I take it you are being deliberately provocative? I can't imagine why else you would write that. Particularly as the very fact that such a high earner would write such a dim and ill thought out statement rather negates the opinion.

I do believe but I don't expect any housewives who earn nothing to agree. Women who are well educate have been found in most surveys around the world to be better parents. It's why charities like camfed concentrate on women and the education of girls. Women with good jobs tend to carry on working and earn more. Women who only ever really would have had a mcjob tend to be housewives. Obviously this is just in general and there will be exceptions.

Higher intelligence enables you to adopt better types of parenting because you understanding about psychology whereas thicker parents think if they just thump the child one then all will be well.

The capacity to love and care will not reflect IQ, status or educational level and income but the other bits that go into good mothering are likely to be seen more in women who are successful in their work than those at home.
Anyway it's a bit off topic.

But but but - intelligence and high earnings do not necessarily go together - especially emotional intelligence, and low earnings and being thick are not always a given. I have a first class degree and got an A for every exam I've ever taken (apart from metalwork) I think i'm a pretty good parent - but don't even earn enough to pay ANY tax. Your sweeping generalisations are rubbish.

Xenia, do you actually know anyone who just thumps their child? I don't and we're skint, so you're not making sense to me.

Xenia - I'm sorry but that's just rubbish. Most of us here earn a whole lot less than you but it doesn't make us any less 'clever', or you a better mother.

And I do wish you'd desist from using the term 'thick'.

My goodness, what a strange thing to say.

In what way to you consider yourself intelligent, Xenia?

Xenia can you not see how highly unintelligent your arguments are. I don't have to look very far around my own circle of friends (who earn between 0 and several million a year) to see that what you spout is utter hogwash. These aren't 'exceptions'. They reflect the diversity of life in terms of education and also that some areas of work are vastly over-compensated compared to others.

I hope my children have the intelligence to look beyond money and status as a way of classifying people's worth. I pity the poor children who grow up in families where their worth is measured only in terms of achievement and status.

well xenia,
'Higher earning women tend to be cleverer and better mothers anyway'

that the most unintelligent pov i have EVER seen on mumsnet

well done

you must be so proud of yorself

xenia - i had a great job and a completely sexist boss who said he couldn't rely on me any more to give my all once my young child became ill (so i once took her to hospital during business hours). I worked 7 am to 11pm 5 days a week and sometimes weekends too and earned a huge amount (to me, not compared to OP). ultimately i decided i'd rather be poor and be able to take my child to hospital myself rather than send her with our (very nice ) nanny. now i work as a freelancer, just make ends meet and take her to all the places i need to. I also train companies in flexible working as well as the other stuff i do. i am highly educated by the way fwiw

Oh dear that diversity sentence didn't make much sense. The point being I guess that you can't generalise something like parenting down to 'better parents earn this and dothis and say that'. It's far more complex than that. Anyone with an iota of intelligence will know that.

here here yurt!
very well put

she sounds so strange - has she got some incredibly fabulous career ?

I find it strange that someone who claims such great intelligence for herself (based on her earning power) has such rigid inflexible thought patterns that she sees her own life as the one that everyone should aspire to. The only possible way to live your life with any value. So unintelligent that she sees other life choices as being made by people who must be 'thick' and dreadful parents.

if that's intelligence I'll hang out with the thick crowd thanks.

Higher intelligence enables you to adopt better types of parenting because you understanding about psychology whereas thicker parents think if they just thump the child one then all will be well. quoting xenia

You are talking utter rubbish and are being incredibly patronising. How many kids do you have, xenia?

On the whole successful working mothers are better parents. I stand by that but people can believe what they like and there will be good mothers who are housewives and fathers who are househusbands too but I still overall the working mothers tend to be better at being parents. But it's rather got off the topic of the thread hasn't it?

How we can get more women paying £72k tax a year might be a better topic or how we can help the original poster get her tax bill down.

On the whole working mothers tend to be better parents?

You really are talking the most utter rubbish