If the UK has to pay reparations, will other countries?

[Controversialname]

If the UK is made to pay reparations where will that leave other nations who were or indeed still are involved in slavery?

My DM is an immigrant too. As are many of us who arrived in the UK after the slave trade. Should we all be paying reparations? Should we take into consideration the large overseas donations the UK makes?

There has to be a point at which we say stop. It's one thing to demand reparations immediately after a major conflict, but quite ridiculous to demand it hundreds of years later from people who had no part in it.

They've still done more than the UK have thought haven't they. The UK haven't done anything

Of course we have.

The point is, we cannot afford to pay 18 trillion in cold cash. We can look at other options - such as favourable trade deals.

And we all understand WHY people are asking for reparations.

Now I would ask why the US got away with demanding Vietnam pay THEM back, but as you say, off topic.

England is a country of rich industrialist and landowners many of whom directly profited from slavery, and a working class many of who were exploited by the same landowners that were profiting from slavery. And now they are asking the descendants of those exploited people to pay reparations to people who were more exploited.

The UK didn't do anything to disrupt the slave trade? Is that what you think?

Again, it's the government that pays reparations.

Not individual people

Again, its the taxpayers who fund government.

Just to remind you that this was my comment.
Most of history is lots of truly awful events, war, slavery ( by most nations), witch hunts, trials for heresy, poor people being ill treated or exploited. The list is endless.
It's mostly powerful people using their advantages in life against those who have no power or advantage.

So? It still won't affect you in anyway.

Your income tax won't increase

Where do you think governments get their money?

My DM is an immigrant too. As are many of us who arrived in the UK after the slave trade. Should we all be paying reparations? It's only a little more unfair that asking my family, descended from agricultural labourers and coal miners, to pay reparations.

We literally are expecting tax rises in this upcoming budget....

What an odd statement, taxpayers do exist

The point is, if the UK government pays reparations, it won't affect your individual pay in any way

Why on earth would you think it would?

They would just set aside some of the tax money to pay for reparations.

Everyone's income would remain the same

How old are you? Do you work? Are you aware of taxation?

Yes but the tax that you pay won't change!!

I'm more than a little suspicious of your intentions here.

To put this politely as possible, you don't seem to have even the basic grounding in how government works.

In order to afford this, taxes WOULD have to increase and/or national debt would increase.

Debt, that pesky thing, being why we cannot afford financially to pay out reparations.

Public services are being cut to the bone - the NHS woes are well known, even internationally. I'm sure you've heard of them.

Quality of life continues to decrease for many. Its those many who would be directly affected by this.

Do you really think that any government can just find millions or billions or trillions down the back of the sofa? Of course it will come from taxation. And that means increased taxation or cuts in services. I. e more austerity. And then we are on the road to civil unrest, as many people, particularly those who are deprived would suffer further.

The money will come out of the money the government has available to manage the country. Services will decrease. Education will get worse, health service will get worse, the country will be less safe, both internally and from foreign agencies as we can't afford either to run an adequate police service or to defend ourselves.

And the people who will be most affected by this will be the descendants of the working classes who also were exploited by those that were benefiting from the slave trade.

@Danajune11 where is this magic "government" money coming from then if not taxpayers.

You remind me of someone I spoke to ages ago who had this great idea that in order to fund public sevices instead of tax the govenrnment should seize every property worth over a million pounds without compensation to the owner. They couldn't understand why this would quickly result in precisely zero properties worth over a million pounds and the govenment left owning a load of worthless properties!

😂

Does someone want to explain the fundamentals of 'tax?

Taxes would not have to increase.

I'm not an expert myself, but I did an attempt.

Do I win a goldfish?