To think that there is no hope here?

[Taxed]

52.6% of UK individuals are reliant on the State (that is 35 million people). Only 47.4% are net contributors. How did we get here?

AIBU to think that the UK is now a declining economy that will never recover if this continues to be the case?

I am 49 and a high earner (just shy of the top 1%). My husband is also a high earner and we are thinking of leaving. We don't know where but we know we have to as the situation in the UK is getting worse not better. The only thing that is keeping us here is our son, who is still in secondary school. I am actively encouraging him to consider a future outside of the UK.

I genuinely feel that being ambitious and successful is not worth it in the UK. People hate you for it and want to see you penalised. They think that whatever you do to earn the money it must be easy and a breeze. That you are greedy and need to be made to pay for doing well. Just last week, I heard that the government might be thinking of implementing a charge, payable by high earners, to access the NHS. Everything is about taxing the already heavily taxed even more and few want to face up to the fact that this is unsustainable when you have most of your people relying on the State to live.

People complain about the immigrants but they make up a tiny proportion of 35 million.

I feel disliked for doing well and just can't see a future here and it is making me angry and sad. I believe in having a welfare state, in helping those who are in need but 52.6%? The country is on its knees when most of its people are in need. That is like a developing country not a developed and thriving economy.

Sorry for the long rant. I'm just tired, sad and have just about lost hope of enjoying life in the UK.

May the markets, the protests, the headlines, the defections, the backbench rebellions, the polls - guide us to salvation….

I think it’s inevitable isn’t it.

One thing is for certain - the pressure is mounting on Reeves.

One wonders whether she will turn on the waterworks again - I doubt the markets will be so sanguine next time…

A wave of directors has left Britain since Sir Keir Starmer’s government abolished favourable tax treatment for non-domiciled residents and raised other duties on the wealthy, with the United Arab Emirates the most popular destination.

From last year’s October Budget until last month, 3,790 company directors reported leaving the UK, compared with 2,712 in the same period a year earlier, according to an analysis of Companies House filings by the Financial Times.

The analysis identified business figures whose departure from Britain was not previously known, including Mark Makepeace, founder of market index provider FTSE Russell, Bart Becht, former boss of Reckitt Benckiser, and Riccardo Silva, an investor in AC Milan and owner of Miami Football Club.

Eddie Hearn, the prominent Essex boxing promoter, has also changed his residence to Monaco, along with John Reece, the finance director of Britain’s largest private company Ineos, the FT found.

FT

I do wonder where the 52% figure is from and would love a link to a legit source for this (not daily mail etc).

I am thinking this is a combination of all types of benefit, including child benefit. I wouldnt necessarily count any payments for children into this calculation.

I work full time on 40k per annum, and I receive child benefit and DLA for autistic/ADHD DS at £400 per month. The DLA is basically just short of the tax I pay per month.

I don't depend on DLA or child benefit but it does certainly make DS life more fulfilling, e.g. I can pay for 121 classes rather than group or pay for specialist classes which do not come cheap. Child benefit I dont even notice hit my account, as its so low (£100 or thereabouts I think per month?)

I certainly know more people that work than do not work. A couple of these are getting government top ups as they work part time due to children etc

Fully agree!!! We are considering leaving. I feel like hardworking normal people are being squeezed so much that we earn and have nothing to show for it. The system in our country is very unfair and an absolute joke.

Going back to the original question as to whether there is hope in the UK, it’s up to the government to provide it and they’ve not done that well at all. In the big issues people have concerns about, where is the messaging. Things that could say but haven’t:

on immigration - we’re going to try 1 in 1 out with France for x months and if we don’t see a meaningful reduction we’ll leave the ECHR and deport people.

On tax - we are going to defer to our expert advisors as to the best way to alter our tax system to ensure the highest tax take possible is achieved by the fairest means.

On housing - we acknowledge the issues with housing. We will encourage the elderly to downsize with stamp duty reliefs and encouraging suitable developments. We will encourage developers to build by simplifying the planning process. We will restrict housing ownership to UK citizens and charge second homes / holiday lets 5 x council tax. We will restrict mortgage lending to 4 x joint salary. We shall scrap stamp duty to encourage people to live in a property that best meets their needs.

Where are labours plans? What is their vision? I’m not seeing anything.

Where are labours plans? What is their vision? I’m not seeing anything.

Dont worry - you are not alone.

Not wholly convinced Labour know either.

And that's the problem - people believe this crap. The fact that he has a lot of subscribers doesn't make him correct, he's just generating money on YouTube by targeting selected demographic so of course he's saying what's pleasing to largest crowd.

Wealth can only be taxed if all countries agree to do it. Otherwise wealth and its creators are globally mobile. There isn't any other country in the world which taxes wealth in the way it's proposed here, very few examples of wealth tax are very limited in their base.

Taxing 10m+ at 2% will wipe out 75% of your wealth in 65 years, means well within your lifetime. Will you stay here under this circumstances?

If I had £1 for every recommendation for Gary's Economics, I'd have a few thousand. For the reason that @nearlylovemyusername explains, all it proves is that the person suggesting it knows zero about economics or human nature.

There are reasons why wealth taxes have failed everywhere they've been tried: one because they erode existing wealth, but mainly because they drive entrepreneurs and investors elsewhere -- to countries that understand that a smaller % of something is worth more than 100% of zip.

UK economy was in a way much better state in June 2024 than it is in July 2025.

I agree that it would be too early to see any tangible improvements in a year, but it's sharp decline as a direct consequence of Labour policies, notably in labour market which is filtering through living standards.

Tory had to go through covid and war in Ukraine (yes, I'll never forget nor forgive Brexit before you jump), Labour didn't have any of those issues, purely self inflicted disaster.

@MyNameIsX thanks once again for a clear and factual response.
Very insightful.

I’m currently somewhere not exactly known for its robust economic management.
but reading both here and elsewhere, it seems that now is not the right time to return.

if I came back I would be a net contributor. But for thr moment I will stay away. Which I suppose partly proves your point…

Best of luck!

A year ago labour said we were 20 billion in the hole. Okay they were going to fix it. One year later we're 52 billion in the hole. Whose to blame this time.

Never a truer word spoken.

So, the grownups are in charge are they? Reeves really has something to blub about now.

With luck, the IMF will be compelled to parachute in some technocrats soon, to run this place.

Starmer, Reeves and Labour

Here’s an amusing one for the usual Labour apologists (you know who you are, we know who you are…)

From the BBC comments section re Reeves’s growing black hole.

'Fully Costed' ?

This Government has been a disaster from day 1.

Spent months Gaslighting the public with the same repetitive go-to responses :

"14 years"
"22bn black hole"
"far-right"
etc etc ad-infinitum

Meanwhile, haven't a clue how to actually run a country
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You sound as though you think this is a new thing? In 2010 53% of people were net recipients.

the bigger shift is the growing inequality between rich and poor. But you don’t care about that because you’re rich.

Not sure which PP you are responding to.

Sir Keir Starmer plans to update the Equality Act to give public authorities a new duty to consider a person’s “socio-economic background”.

The changes could mean that schools are forced to give pupils from a working-class background priority when applying for school places, according to Conservative research, instead of judging applications based on how far away from a school someone lives.

The Tories said the new duty could also mean that working-class people leapfrog the middle classes on NHS waiting lists.

It could also lead to another form of “two-tier policing”, with crime-fighting resources targeted towards rundown areas.

Labours master plan - destruction of the middle class….

Link please? This is another level of crazy.
But I wouldn't be too surprised by this.

Paywalled I think.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/08/08/middle-class-children-shut-out-best-schools-equality-drive/

Paywalled.

I really hope it's speculation and not true. Labour demise in a few year will be much worse than Tory, why don't they see it?

If only the Telegraph is reporting this, probably best to wait and see something more official.

And high crime areas, rich or poor, do need more intensive policing.

Fill your boots

"Ofsted’s equality objectives 2023 to 2027 - GOV.UK" https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsteds-equality-objectives-2023-to-2027/ofsteds-equality-objectives-2023-to-2027