If you could choose how your income tax was spent

[Worryworrierworrying]

How would you apportion it? If we were able to choose I would definitely want more of my income tax to go into education vs NHS and a greater proportion on defence, justice, rehabilitation and social care.

how would this work exactly?

Kier, is that you?

Defence?? It would be my last choice.

Similar; I’d increase education, justice/rehabilitation and defence spending and almost completely abolish in-work benefits.

It’s time companies started paying an actual living wage to people, not creaming off the profits and letting taxpayers take the fall!

sorry wasn’t offering a practical solution - more just theoretical if you had more say. My thought was triggered by all the education private VAT etc threads / I just wish more was invested in education and my trade off would be the NHS which I think is inefficient and not fit for purpose by a long stretch and I don’t think more money is going to fix it. So .. if you had more say, what would you do

Also social care is a massive issue I would reapportion NHS budget to support social care which would take some pressure off hospitals

Agree re education, we need to invest in young people and a better educated population is a good thing.

I think we do need to pay a bit more on defence. Social care - unsure, I think care in the home should means test by talking house value into account as well.

I wouldn’t. I don’t want my biases impacting effective use of tax revenues.

It’s time companies started paying an actual living wage to people, not creaming off the profits and letting taxpayers take the fall!

This ignores the fact that consumers often like cheap. Cheap product = cheap labour.

Also social care is a massive issue I would reapportion NHS budget to support social care which would take some pressure off hospitals

The ageing population makes this unaffordable though.

Always easy to say what you would spend more on. Harder to say what you be happy seeing cut to pay for what you would spend more on though.

Overall I like the idea of voting every few years for a bunch of people to debate the issues and consider them in the round before making decisions on my behalf. I don’t know what I’m talking about, to be honest. Not about the details and consequences at any rate.

I don’t know what I’m talking about, to be honest. Not about the details and consequences at any rate.

I think that aligns with most governments!

Governments know a lot more than I do. I know a great deal about a couple of things, and nothing at all about almost everything.

Obviously governments make mistakes. Governing is messy. But I’d much rather them take the decisions than they ask us all the time what we want. It’s their job to research and decide for us.

Which is fair enough but I don't think the OP was saying we should abolish governments just musing...

Education education education! I would put tonnes into schools and massively increase free schools/academies. I’d spend more on policing, justice and defence. I’d ramp up spending on public transport and cycling/walking infrastructure and cut funding for roads. I’d set up social insurance for elderly care and health, with different levels of cover. I’d massively increase community assets like social housing, libraries, parks. I’d have tax breaks for essential community facilities like playgroups, pubs, community shops, bakeries. I’d cut in-work benefits to the bone.

Basically all my spending would be concentrated on keeping people physically safe, building strong, self-sufficient communities and educating the next generation.

I don’t know other than I don’t believe that the royal family should be funded by the taxpayer at all.