Not an ordinary working person if you earn over 45k

[TesChique]

Disincentivising anyone to strive to earn over 45k a year is a bizarre strategy for growth i feel

Aibu?

Yes.

Because I don’t see how anyone can expect better public services without everyone contributing something.

Nobody ‘wants’ to give up more of their earnings, but for some people paying a bit more means one less foreign holiday, and for some it means having to cut back on food.

Where’s the blitz spirit we always used to hear about? People are so depressingly selfish these days. People overclaiming benefits and people begrudging an extra 1% on income tax - selfish. People thinking they’re better than others who earn less - selfish.

People must understand we need business to be booming. If it isn’t, people suffer from the lowest salaries upwards. It’s in no one’s interest to kill business and growth. Economic success is critical to everybody. Labour are doing the opposite.

“Business leaders are worn out from the past year’s rollercoaster of uncertainty and tax increases,” she added. “We hear repeatedly of the effects: planning horizons shortened, hiring cancelled or outsourced, and discretionary spend on hold. Businesses need certainty over their costs – both tax and regulatory.”
Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said the survey showed business confidence had been “shattered – not by global shocks, but by Labour’s choices”.
He said: “Month after month, it’s the same story: uncertainty and speculation. Businesses are stalling on hiring and investment because they simply don’t trust Labour to keep their word.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/03/tax-rises-drop-investment-limit-uk-growth-ey-item-club

My, you really are the sum of human kindness aren't you

Why not just cull them all, save even more money.

UK luxury sports car sales hit record highs last year, there is no shortage of wealth in the UK.

We already have the highest taxes in 70 odd years.

Labour promises included “fully funded”

Heres a few of the lies

Labour's manifesto is, "fully funded and fully costed - no ifs, no ands, no buts… no additional tax rises."
"I have been very clear that every policy we announce, and every line in our manifesto, will be fully costed and fully funded."
“Nothing in our plans requires any additional tax to be increased.”
“We’ve got the Office for Budget Responsibility now… You don’t need to win an election to find out [about the public finances].”
“I don’t believe that fiddling around with tax rates is the best way to grow the economy.”

The problem is that the prices that resulted from the Truss experiment never came down, so claiming 2.2% as any kind of victory feels pretty hollow.

The Guardian too, not even the usual reliance on the wrong media.

Yes, the reality for many workers.

I know.. commie points for me I thought ;)

How does any of that address what I said though? I’m not claiming Labour have a plan, as I’m not sure they do, but neither did the other lot.

With my own eyes I can see the country is fucked, from 30-40 years of underinvestment to more recent disasters. Whoever is in charge we will need to raise taxes - on wealth and income imo - to fix this.

And plug the leak in the bucket too? Slash benefits and slash immigration. No point trying to fill up the bucket when there are gaping holes (and people stealing the water).

Did you read your link before posting?

Can you read?

@Alexandra2001 May you answer please? I’m fascinated, you see.

I don’t think it is fixing it. Otherwise why would the last budget which had £70bn borrowing and tax hikes lead to more again? When it was claimed it was a one off.

Hammering SMEs hasn’t helped. Can you say how it has?

Barclays is forecasting that Reeves will be looking for £41bn in tax rises in the budget, up from their prediction of £26.5bn in September.

Scotland isn't too dissimilar for the higher brackets it's 42% over 43k and 45% for 75k however what they have finding since introducing is that the amount they have generated from these is way way less.

The salary amounts sound amazing but reality is with the higher tax they aren't as generous as they first appear so people adjust their habits and working patterns accordingly.

Well, did you? seems you didn't, just went on the headline..... .

But typical Tory response, you lot can't help yourself.

Most important - job marked was white hot before Sunak called for election. We were struggling to find people on sky high packages.
Have you tried to get a job since Labor came it? no? people are looking for many many months, sending hundreds of CVs, job market is dead at the moment and this is direct consequence of Labor policies.

No. I thought a stupid question deserved a stupid response.

Exactly. It’s a wasteland for jobs out there. What Labour have done is horrendous for our young people at the moment, especially.

One Is a public servant, one is delivering an essential public service and their organisation is teetering on bankruptcy. Acceptance of such dire outputs for such enormous gains is, imo, why the country is in such a mess. Priorities all wrong. I want more than this dross for us all. But it does explain the position of so many on the thread, who think they’re more valuable than others because of their P45 because, presumably, their employer tells them so.

I think there are an awful lot of people who keep their 'official' income below £45k to avoid tax but in reality earn a lot more. This policy will just reward them, and punish those of us mugs who own up to every penny we earn and therefore get categorised as some sort of fat cats who need to pay as much tax as humanly possible... even if our incomes haven't changed in ten years and our outgoings have more than doubled even though our quality of life has significantly fallen.

Most people I know earn more than £45k and feel far from rich, but despite this feel little inclination to get promoted or strive for a pay rise as the taxation above this level is so punitive and the cost of the extra childcare needed to facilitate more working more is so expensive (not to mention the removal of things like free childcare hours if you earn 'too much') ... most people just think there's no point. I think that's a big problem for the country personally

Again, I don’t believe I’ve said anywhere that Labour policy is improving things. In my sector NICs made things significantly worse.

But can you honestly say that tax rises aren’t needed? Uncomfortable, unfair or unwelcome as they may be, there is a huge black hole and it can’t be laid solely at the door of a one year old government.

The quoted poster got a house paid off via a windfall (although I assume in a relatively cheap part of the country) and is retired on a low income which I assume is the state pension.

She would like to tax people on £45k more, to fund her existence (via pension), because they are "rich".

This group includes, say, single parents paying £2k+ a month private rent in London (from their £3k net salary).

I am the communist for being against increased redistribution in this case? Those two families are on very similar incomes net of housing costs.

The quoted poster seems nice, helping her neighbours with advice etc. My beef is not with her but with a society that judges everyone by headline salary rates.

No the Tories did a lot. The data shows we decarbonised very quickly and a lot faster compared to our competitors. Renewable energy went up a lot under the conservative government. Nearly 50% of our grid is powered by renewables thanks to the conservatives.

Air quality significantly improved as well.

They weren't perfect. There was some success on rewilding and species reintroduction. And they did set up the water restoration fund.

HS2 sucks due to the stupid planning laws we have here and the constant NIMBYISM. Makes it so hard to get anything done. At least it's still there to Birmingham.

Yes I think it would have been better not to do NI which would mean that bigger hole wouldn’t be there. And tax rises could have been avoided.

I think we needed to incentivise not hamper, but the latter was voted in.