Would you pay more tax to boost defence spending

[trainermush]

Obviously we are now in a more precarious position & defence spending has been underfunded for some time. RR had just said we need to spend more money & she will but without breaking her fiscal rules,

"So we will stick to our fiscal rules. But recognising the priority of defence spending in the world that we live in today means that we will have to make difficult choices so that we can spend that money that is needed to keep our country safe."

Mulling it over & even though I think I pay enough tax I would pay more each month towards this (cut back in other areas) as opposed to labour cutting back on something else. I guess thinking about my dc & other loved ones has changed my mind somewhat now things appear more bleak. What do others think?
Conscription of young people terrifies me even though my dc are too young.

The US had the right idea (until now) re Ukraine. Spend the money pegged for Ukrainian defence in the US and boosting their own manufacturing and defence industry. It's a shame we have given all our steel production to China as it would come in handy now for defence and also boost jobs and the economy.

Your assumption is entirely correct. In the event of war all bets are off.

Reduce the tax saving on cash ISA's, only have 0% tax rate on ISAs that have say 20% invested in UK.

We've £723billion invested in ISAs, little if any gain for the country vs the cost in tax.

@EasternStandard no idea

40% of working adults support the other 60% so when you say "increase tax" you mean increase tax for this 40% which is mainly made up of middle earners ie above the threshold for claiming anything but below higher rate tax.
How much more squeezing do you think they can take?
We have to start making realistic decisions based on fact, not wishful thinking about funding all public services. We simply dont have enough income tax coming in.

Yes I would
We need to protect ourselves from more than we thought it seems

About 60 British soldiers in Kosovo. 500 US troops. Do you think the US cares about Kosovo? They don't. Do you not think Europe should be funding the peace keeping here in it's entirity? The US does and who can blame them.
I am also sorry to say that other than the British, the other countries who send troops with a few notable exceptions are sending people with little skills or training, poor equipment, who are not capable of doing very much at all on base, or even worse do not believe in the peace.

Food, meds, health programs yes.

@twistyizzy I would want everyone or the vast majority to contribute not just workers

@trainermush I agree with you on dc btw

The IMF said we needed a buffer for the next shock, which they said could be sooner than we expect

Sounds prescient

Not sure on tax, spending can be shifted first

It couldn't only come out of income I mean

Sounds prescient

indeed

Yes. But preferably spent on buying UK and European made equipment - eg air defence systems made by SAMP-T in France and Italy rather than US Patriot system.

We can't and shouldn't try and make everything in the UK but should specialize is certain defence technologies while letting our European partners specialize in their areas. That way gets much more efficient results.

The focus should be on improving European security so not projecting force halfway across the world but much closer in.

Also a lot of focus on cyber warfare, hacking, sabotage and irregular warfare like Russian ships "accidentally" damaging critical cables. I see this as a big threat.

Would also pay more tax for healthcare, education and social care.

I certainly don't want war and a decade ago would have been opposed to spending more on defence but things have changed and there are

And tax doesn't have to be on income! It should be levied much more on wealth.

Land, inheritance, "trusts" etc.

How much more tax would you pay for defence, education + healthcare? You know you can do this already via HMRC voluntary monthly direct debit scheme? I

Trump hasn't given us a choice. Made worse by 14 years of Tory cost cutting so now it will cost even more to get back to what we need.

How much more tax would you pay for defence, education + healthcare? You know you can do this already via HMRC voluntary monthly direct debit scheme?

@twistyizzy but this isn't a case of I have got spare cash so think tax should go up. I would not be happy about more tax but would go without food or whatever if it made things safer for my dc.

That old chestnut again. We all need to pay it. One person wouldn’t make any difference at all.

Yes. Defence is about more than boots on the ground and weapons. We are in a precarious position and isolated. Britain is no longer the superpower that people seem to think it is.

I do wonder though how many of the younger generation, who find the thought of holding down a job anxiety inducing, would be capable of bearing arms and defending the country if needed.

I do wonder though how many of the younger generation, who find the thought of holding down a job anxiety inducing, would be capable of bearing arms and defending the country if needed.

🙄

Well how capable do you feel?

who knows, much of the west is suffering from low birth rates. Russia badly needs younger people, maybe he will do a deal with those anxious youths.

No. I agree with funding defence measures properly, but the Chancellor could sort out corporation tax and the many many loopholes that allow private equity firms to asset strip.

Individual taxpayers are contributing enough already. Starbucks is paying the equivalent of single figures as a tax rate on its income, when someone on minimum wage is taxed at 20%....so HM Treasury can have a little think about the fact that they are notionally supposed to be socialists, and toddle off to talk to the Broligarchs who literally have more money than they can spend.

It absolutely makes me despair that so many think that someone else as long as it’s not them should pay more tax to fund essential services including defence . We should all be paying extra tax - if we all paid an extra 1% then the broader shoulders would naturally be paying a larger sum than the poorer citizens . How did we get to be a country that doesn’t know that ultimately we are all responsible for ourselves and therefore have to pay our share

Starbucks is paying the equivalent of single figures as a tax rate on its income, when someone on minimum wage is taxed at 20%...

But that would involve collaboration with other countries to check tax loopholes.

Customers could shop in local independents though rather than give their pound to Starbucks as they wouldn't not exist without customers.