To wonder how the UK will look in 3 years time?

[Labradorlover987]

I was inspired to write this after reading the UC post that was just reported - the govt’s welfare bill has passed but was watered down so unlikely to make any real savings.

I earn 40k, have a school age child and just feel like I am living hand to mouth 😩 I 100% think there should be a welfare systems that supports people on low incomes but I wonder how the current system will be sustained in the long run?

Just wondered what other people thought.

I actually wouldn’t mind paying more in taxes if we could be guaranteed more in services etc - for example my council tax just went up and the services seem even worse this year than usual.

Some posters here love Dan Niedle

He seems to be very much against wealth tax
UK wealth tax: high risk and anti-growth - Tax Policy Associates

I also posted this sometime ago.
Back to my earlier post about welfare and given so much love of Scandi system

DI_The-Nordic-social-welfare-model.pdf (deloitte.com)
"Many public services and benefits in the Nordic countries are provided to the entire population for free, or at a reduced price, independent of market mechanisms (see figure 4 on page 12). Free and equal access to these social services is the core universal principle of the Nordic model. Access is not based on the ability to pay, nor economic need."
" the size of public pensions in Norway, Sweden and Finland depends directly on how much the individual has earned and contributed to the pension system. "

"The Nordic countries all have employment rates above 70 per cent, and most land near the top of the list of OECD nations (figure 6 on page 13). Iceland and Sweden, in particular, stand out with employment at approximately 85 per cent and close to 80 per cent, respectively. "
"How do the Nordic countries achieve these high employment rates when they offer such generous social benefits, which are not limited to the poor? Why don’t more individuals simply take advantage of the broad social security net? The answer seems to lie in the gradually ‘tougher’ policies the Nordic countries have adopted, which increase incentives to work in various ways and balance the provision of social security. For instance, the unemployment benefit period has been progressively reduced, as has the amount of compensation"

Just found this interesting stats
Self-Made vs. Inherited Billionaires: Global Ranking by Country

ETA: Data on Russia should be taken with pinch of salt, their billionaires mostly got rich through grabbing public resources at the time of collapse of USSR, but the rest of the world is interesting

Perfectly reasonable stance.
I don’t have an issue with economic migration simply because I’m sure I would do
precisely the same thing to better my family’s prospects. I also believe that those who make it to our shores must be some of the most resourceful, resilient and determined folk on the face of this earth and I welcome them.

I don’t deny for a moment that there will be a dangerous, nasty element who ought to be deported once their claim is processed : I think that’s probably true of any group/nationality, though. A first step in weeding out this element would be to allow asylum claimants to work from the moment they set foot on British soil, which they are currently not permitted to do. This would serve several purposes: it would give people dignify (most want to work), it would fill much needed gaps in our struggling public services and it would contribute to the nation’s tax take.

It would also have the benefit of discouraging the minority element of non-genuine claimants.

unfortunately, though, all of this will be academic within the next 30 years. If some people on this Island feel overwhelmed now, this will be as nothing when climate change really bites and hundreds of millions of desperate people from the southern hemisphere need to migrate north.

Can you please look at tax rates in Europe? Other countries have far higher taxes on lower earners.

But the issue is housing! We can't tax middle & lower earners more like in other countries because they spend more on housing.

What makes you think "hundreds of millions of desperate people from the southern hemisphere need to migrate north" any time soon (if at all)?

Those with assets above say £15m is who we should be taxing more.

Exactly - it's not so much of a thing in Scandinavian countries, where they have high taxes, to buy a home, renting for life is more secure.

Our MPs are low quality individuals, fairly thick and not very capable. Most have never had real jobs and don’t understand anything about how money works.

I think this is the crux of the matter.

The poster gives their reason in literally the same sentence you quoted.

Sorry I can’t remember it all. She mentioned NI as an issue. She also was worried about the change to zero hour contracts but I don’t know if that’s happened; she and the staff didn’t want the changes. I don’t think the cafe has had other issues. She opened in her fifties and loved it. So this would be a huge blow.

I think the UK will be worse in 3 years from now.The government do not care how it treats the tax payer.Schools are under achieving Children leaving school without the skills they will need for life.Barely any training schemes.Services are being cut.Councils bankrupt.High streets are like ghost towns.Ripped off by most supermarkets.Milk has gone up from 1.45 to 1.65 in one week! Jobs are becoming more scarce.The weekly shops are increasing in price, especially the basics.Trying to get a Dr appointment is a challenge.Our Daughter is having a operation in 2 wks time.Her blood pressure is high.Hospital recommended attending the doctors for blood pressure tests.No appointments available this week for a basic blood pressure check.Daughter & partner moved in with us, as the rent on there flat was going up to 1400.00 a month.Students paying 9,000+ for degree + rent costs.With no guarantee of employment.Energy bills are ridiculously expensive.It may not effect some people living in a good location in well paid employment.I went to London this week, the amount of flats being built were everywhere.These flats are 300,000 + to 500,000 +.So not for the low to moderate income.Looking around where I live, it's grim, no street cleaning, litter, anti social behaviour, shops closing due to shoplifting.No police presence.Not much, if any investing in our young people.Old people on mobility scooters then put in to Nursing homes.This country has become depressing to live in!

It’s also nonsense because all these ‘tax us more’ posters are overlooking the damage it does to the economy, jobs and growth.

Look at where Labour are a year after a tax and borrowing hike. It’s not working, it’s depleting receipts.

True^^

And child care!

Child care is a red herring. It’s a cost for a relatively short period of time. The vast majority of the working population at any given time aren’t paying it.

From the IFS.....

Today an extensive report on Cancer survivals rates show show good improvements from 50 years ago but these have stagnated in the last 10 to 12 years, going against the trend in comparable European countries.... the reports author says this is down to NHS real terms under funding.

Labour have now a Cancer strategy but that needs money, what the low tax people cannot say is how they will pay for all of this...plus everything else we want..... i suspect that they simply don't care, they can afford the private tests and treatments

Tax receipts are 3.5% higher in 24/25 than 23/24.....

HMRC collected £857.8 billion in taxes in 2024 to 2025, an increase of 3.5% from the year before

Lets have a bit more "Depletion...."

Do you have a link for that @Alexandra2001?

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk/hmrc-tax-receipts-and-national-insurance-contributions-for-the-uk-new-annual-bulletin

If by ‘reducing inequality’, you mean equalising everyone at a low level, then knock yourself out.

Personally, I am not keen on it. The world is not egalitarian, some people are simply ‘better’ than others. Better at learning, better at creating wealth, better at making and taking opportunities, better at not making one poor life choice after another.

Try to social engineer all you like.

Thank you. 🥰

Her reason is a load of nonsense, hence my asking where they have got this ridiculous idea from (and no, I don't think climate change is nonsense, just that poster's statement).

How on earth does she think Reform will help ?

Amazing how "Reducing inequality" becomes "Equalising everyone at a low level"
Reducing doesn't mean Equalling.

Of course we are all different, different skills, different abilities but no one, or very few, are worthless and should thrown on the scrap heap, if hey are they are, all that will happen is they will have kids that in all probability will be the same as their parents.

But what does limit life chances is opportunity, some people have very little, they don't have good parents, no money, they are always "put down" don't play sport, have no access to music or even a decent inspiring education.

How about we try to give everyone the same opportunities, as much as we can.