Tax increases imminent

[Iwishicouldflyhigh]

Heavy hints that taxes will rise in the next Budget after the recent climb down (as the ‘taxes won’t rise again’ was based on a 5 billion saving in benefits).

I can’t lie, I’m so pissed off about this. I don’t think anyone wants to see someone who is genuinely unable to work to be further penalised, but we all know there are thousands of people who could work but don’t.

this country is going to absolute shit . We pay more and more for less and less.

The key difference is that the Torys had a plan. We might not have liked the plan, but at least they had one. This lot have no plan...and worse, don't even know what a plan looks like, or why a plan is essential. It's a pipe dream now to expect them to have a stragey :(

School fees? Are you sure. How many do that?

The point of the NHS is that it has always been free at the point of access. Once you start charging for services it’s a slippery slope all the way down to private healthcare.

What plan? They had 14 years to tackle the systemic issues in welfare, the NHS and education and did none of it, so how did they suddenly have a plan? I feel the same way about the SNP in Scotland who will hopefully be out of jobs next year.

What plan was that ? As far as I can see the Tory plan was always to fleece those at the bottom for the benefit of those at the top. And if we’re talking specifically about PIP, that was designed by the Tories, who in their wisdom decided to open it up to unverifiable mental health conditions, which, apart from the very severe top end of the scale, as far as I can see don’t attract much in the way of extra expense, unlike physical disabilities. They were always going to abolish DLA. If they had left it alone we wouldn’t be in the mess caused by the ballooning of the cost of benefits like PIP. If you expand the definition of disability then you must expect an expansion of claims to benefits that support it.

But then the mothers who choose not to work will demand it too, as they demand the however many free hours of nursery provision.
We have far too many people getting far too much for choosing to do nothing and they don't intend changing. The financial drains on the country are well known but it's political suicide for a party to address them. There are definitions which are designed to make as many people as possible dependant on this country to keep them.

This and this again!

Sorry, but I don't want to see any more cuts to health and education.

I could afford to spend thousands in solicitors to appeal my son's EHCP rejection (apparently purely on a budget basis), but am disgusted at the idea that another person possibly can't and their child's need might not be met.

I earn about double the average UK salary, but am happy to contribute if that's what is needed.

It’s not all or nothing. There are lots of models of public health care that are neither fully free at point of delivery or be bankrupt for your hip replacement.

I don't think taxation is the issue. The problem is the benefits culture, too many taking, taking and taking and too few putting in.

The benefits Bill needs controlling and the expense of illegal immigration too.

So Labour pledged not to raise taxes but you want them to anyway, lying to the electorate is ok.

Yes, people encouraging others to get signed off for mental health or stress, or to take a duvet day. Or can’t work at all, because they have decided not to. It’s obviously a lazy society where some work and others find excuses not to. And get away with it. No thanks.

If working and having a family was made easier (see the comment about childcare provision above), I am pretty sure a notably lower amount of people would ever consider a duvet day.

We can.

But those systems are not cheaper than the NHS, plus you would have the massive costs and disruption of transferring from one system to the other.

So I don't see why people are positing this as a means to avoid tax rises. You're going to pay the same one way or the other.

Increases in Ni, decrease in NI threshold, increase in business rates ... businesses are being hammered.

The state pension should not be means tested. It is already taxed and why should people who have paid tax and NI all their working lives be penalised to pay for those who haven't contributed. This would totally destroy the social contract.

What Labour could do to save money;

Stop spending £5 billion plus per year housing boat migrants in five star hotels and private rentals with all the freebies attached.

Make the benefit and NHS contribution based so you only have access to it after you have paid in from full time work for a minimum of ten years. There are millions of people who have never contributed or been a net taker who get far too much back in welfare and subsidies. It's unaffordable, unfair and breaks the social contract. Why be responsible and work your heart out only to pay ever more taxes so that those who aren't get even more stuff. It's such a bad message to send and will result in even more tax payers chucking in work.

This would save many billions.

I wish they'd put taxes up, especially for higher earners and the rich. I wish they'd never said they wouldn't. We can't keep expecting the same or higher standards of health care, social benefits and services for more and more people for the same or less money. A few pence on income tax wouldn't make much difference to most people. It's a shame people are so selfish and short-sighted when they vote.

As if any middle class MNer would agree with that concept either. 🙄

My mum went to visit her friend in hospital yesterday who’s had heart surgery. They were already in poor health, but have been stuck in hospital since the operation as they just don’t seem strong enough to recover. We both said it was such a waste of resources to perform this kind of surgery on someone so elderly.

An excellent post, 42wallabywaysydney, though there's just one problem in that the cries about sick leave for those experiencing a bit of temporary work stress often come from those well able to advocate for themselves

Sadly, many of the severely disabled can't do that, so unless they have capable representation it can be all too easy to target them instead because it's easier

After all, as a politician of my acquaintance once said "It doesn't matter because they don't vote"

But Labour did increase taxes at the last budget and borrowing at £70bn worth.

Why isn’t that helping? Why demands for more. It’s a shortsighted sinking mentality.

As upsetting as it is I think you’re right. I think the NHS needs to change too - means test, charged for wasted time (missed appointments, A&E visits for a bug bite etc).

Would you tell someone with a broken leg to just keep on running?
Mental health is very important. What goes on in our brains is just as important as what goes on on the rest of your body.
Some people push through their MH issues and end up having breakdowns that can take some people years to recover from.

What would work then?

The problem is we aren't asking contributors for better services, services are being cut as well, we are asking contributors to put their hand in their pocket to support the ever growing number of takers because they "are entitled" and they "know their rights". The cost of living crisis needs to be solved by rebasing peoples expectations. Netflix is not a basic human right. We have seen what were once luxury items/things being rebased to the norm at the tax payers expense.

Ever since Thatcher we've had people in poverty being told how all they need is to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps".

If it was going to work it would have worked by now.