Where is the money going to come from to meet the UK people expectations?

[Pandersmum]

So assuming that:

• everyone who receives disability benefits needs them and may actually believe they should be entitled to more
• pensioner benefits are non negotiable and again many believe they should be greater than current
• working people (most) believe they are already taxed highly and believe they cannot be taxed any more without further impact to their feeling of unfairness and resentment of the system
• it is unreasonable to expect young people with ADHD or other similar ND disorders / mental health challenges to work, even if they have qualifications and therefore they must be financially supported by the state
• Mental health challenges are very real in any age of person and therefore they must be financially supported by the state and if in work, by their employers
• rent (whatever level) should be supported by the state because it is a basic right to have a home
• NHS treatment (& the best treatment) should be free be all, no matter how expensive it is or whatever their age because people pay their taxes
• businesses are businesses and are there to make profits for their owners - therefore they can choose which country they operate in / pay their taxes in - if they don’t like the UK tax system, they can move somewhere else
• ’in work benefits’ are necessary to support ‘low paid workers, often in essential jobs’ to gain similar amounts of financial remuneration to those on benefits
• high net worth individuals can move if they don’t like the UK tax system

So just where is the money going to come from to fund the UK population of financial expectation of what the state should provide?

We need investment OP. We've had a decade of austerity and our services are barely functional. For example, if we invest in the NHS, both physical and mental health, we can get people back to work who can pay tax.

Constantly taking from the poor and vulnerable, creating huge swathes of deprivation, increasing the vast chasm between rich and poor, is far more expensive in the long run.

I think it perfectly possible for us to care for those that need it and have a flourishing economy. It will take work and sacrifice but we can build the country we want and need.

Well, the only obvious solution is economic growth followed by a different approach to redistribution, but unfortunately (thank you Truss and Kwarteng) the markets are now suspicious of UK tax cutting. Not that this shower have any interest in tax cutting!

Either that or a discovery of rare earth minerals somewhere thinly populated.

Although I suppose we'd just waste the money rather than setting up a sovereign wealth fund.

We need to cut a lot of these benefits- they are simply unaffordable. We also need to increase the basic rate of tax- “tax the rich “ is all well and good but there are simply not enough of them to generate the money we need (and by and large have other options so after a point will just leave).

If people want Scandi style public services and benefits, they need to pay for them at Scandi tax rates. Our basic rate is low in comparison to other countries.

It's fine, the government have said that the migrants, including boat people, are going to pay taxes and address the aging demographic problem 😊 so we're all sorted 👍🏻

Something so many people seem to miss is the fact we live in a country where it is so expensive to live that people can't survive on their income and rely on government top ups to cope with the cost.
Rents round here are about £1800 a month. That's someone's whole salary of £30k a year after tax

Lot's of "luvvies" do the same. It's not just entreprenneurs who offshore their wealth to avoid tax. Lots of pop stars, actors, authors etc "live" in Switzerland, etc.

Nail on the head. It's not that wages are too low, it's that housing costs have risen far too high out of all proportion to incomes. Add in inflation, costs of living, ever increasing utilities, ruinously expensive child care costs etc.

Completely agree!

It’s a sinking mentality. Borrow, tax, drive people out.

Agree and a lot are forced to claim and use disability benefits because the other benefits don't cover basic living costs like rent.

One thing that should be happening is encouraging WFH in jobs where it does work as it is great for people with some disabilities.

WFH has allowed my DD to work full time, rather than part time. Pre Covid she worked part time with one day a month in the office, which was 10 min walk away.

Since early on in the pandemic she's worked full time. It allowed her to come off all income related benefits and top ups.

Now her job has a mandated 60% of time in the office, no exceptions. The office is also now over 90 mins away away by bus and train or two buses. Her PIP doesn't cover taxis every day. Her boss, her bosses boss and their boss all say there's no need to her to be in, but their hands are tied. She takes in her laptop that she works from home with, sits at a booked hot desk with her headphones on and does exactly the same as she would at home. Her work team isn't in on the same days or on the same bank of desks so it's not even for team cohesion. They actually haven't started disciplining people yet for not hitting 60% as people can't always get a desk booked.

Currently her bosses are pushing it for as long as they can allowing her to wfh as much as possible until they start getting trouble for it in the hope that they might get the ability back to allow full wfh as an option for folks like her. She's in bits knowing she won't manage the full time hours as well as the travel and she loves the job she does. She's got interviews lined up for other places that still do WFH.

If her job, which is civil service, can be done from home then HMRC is exactly the kind of employer that should be encouraging that. Especially in circumstances like hers.

Some jobs absolutely aren't suitable for WFH. Some are.

I also believe that people who take the piss should be managed, rather than blanket rule changes. Same as people who take the piss in the office should be.

I don't know much about Michael Eavis but is his motivation probably to keep the farm in one piece?

inheritance is dividing society - your ability to buy a house or live near a good school depends not on your actions but the actions and luck of your parents

Actions of a parent? Yes. I made it clear hard work and academic success were their goals. They’ve achieved your targets (through their actions) with no money or luck from me.

People say this, we live in a Scandi country, we pay almost exactly the same tax here compared to what we paid in the UK as a percentage of our earnings.

@ARichtGoodDram I guess you’ve looked into it but that sounds like a classic ‘reasonable adjustment’ for disability. If they’re managing to run now (when not everyone goes in) and they managed to do it during Covid how can they claim it’s not possible.

We live in a country where people don't want to reward risk takers and innovators. If you run a successful business people think you should be punished and taxed into the ground. That is why business generators are leaving the country to go to some welcoming places. A lot of the service work the UK does well in is highly mobile and can be done anywhere.

Too many people are more concerned about who is going to take their benefits than how they can make a contribution to the country. Our entitled-to culture has gone to far.

It looks like we are heading towards a fundamental shift at the next election with the popularity of Reform. At least they might have the balls to drive actual change. Labour promised change but are delivering less and less.

Reverse Brexit
Encourage entrepeneurship
Trades rather than degrees
Improve education and teaching salaries.
Encourage foreign direct investment
Grow the economy.

Now don't ask me how, but if the above were to happen, then things would improve a hell of a lot.

The issues surrounding benefits are a feature of every civilised country. Encouragement to work is what's needed and to widen the gap between benefit income and earned income. Sometimes there's no difference or it's more beneficial not to work. The country needs people to work, earn a decent salary, afford accommodation, and eat, raise kids and repeat the cycle. Growth in the economy will do that by osmosis.

@Lioncub2020 Reform is too opportunist though to know how they would govern, and almost certainly incompetent (no governing experience, incoherent platform, used to opposing). Farage was a free-market small state type until he spotted the red wall. And a lot of our challenge is because of our age profile. Old people disproportionately vote Reform, so is he really going to act against his base? Theresa May tried that and got badly burned. Politicians have all learned the lesson.

More like to keep his wealth in one piece.

I think, in 20-30 years we will be a lot like Canada and our response to expensive people will be to offer them assisted dying or a very long waiting list for help.

Reality is we don’t have the money for everything, can’t make cuts as everyone gets upset. Population is aging, taxable workforce is shrinking .

NHS will probably reduce services it offers, more at risk of life and limb care and if you have something expensive to treat you better hope you can afford private.

State pensions will probably shrink / close / increase age to mid 70s for new entrants. I suspect at some point they will stop mandating placements at 6 figure sums for new applicants and families will get what they are given/ be expected to cope / offered assisted dying.

Sorry but you haven't a clue.

It is perfectly legal to be tax efficient and minimise your rax bill while strictly obeying tax laws. All successful companies do this. All individuals should do this - if they take the time to read up or engage an advisor.

Tax laws can be changed of course - but often in an attempt to increase Revenue it can be counter productive - if tax laws make UK investment unattractive then Companies will take their entire business elsewhere so we lose ALL that income!

It's naive to bleat "make them pay more" as if it were a doddle!

There is always plenty of money for weapons & wars

However, I would propose

Less money spent on foreign aid

More recycling & reduction in food waste & consumer waste

More small local schemes to help animals, nature & the environment, orchards, bee highways, trees, wild areas, beaches, seas

Schemes for unemployed/ealy retired to volunteer , which may go onwards to paid work & to be a tax payer

Identify & charge NHS tourists

AI may identify some areas which can be more efficient & cost effective eg wasting money in NHS or Government & other areas
Work smarter, not harder

I think no governing experience might be good. It is hardly working with the experience we have at the moment. In some ways it feels like we need a government that doesn't want more than one term so they can do the unpopular things get the country sorted without have to worry about being re-elected.

Ban single use plastic
Everything has to be recycled
Example
Plastic water bottles, have to be made of a compostable material or aluminium which can be recycled