To be concerned about tax u turn

[Costaoff]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/14/rachel-reeves-to-abandon-plans-to-raise-income-tax-rates-in-budget

It's evident that Reeves has been forced to back pedal by Starmer. How can you promise not to raise income tax; leak story after story about the need to increase income tax; and then make a last minute u-turn.

I think they will just target everything: pensions, lower the tax threshold; insurance tax; alcohol duty; capital gains taxs; stamp duty.

I think their proposal to increase income tax by 2% but reduce NI by 2% was sensible.

I don't think they are scrapping the cycle to work scheme, but they are putting a cap on the cost of bicycles?

There is simply no easy answer that people will be happy with
I agree with you @DisappearingGirl

Its quite simple. If they raise taxes they will be out at the next election. They should have cut benefits when they had the chance. Pathetic.

They are Labour though. They are the party of tax and spend.

They need to stop bloody spending to appease back benchers

Nope 🙂‍↔️ they cannot do this. The country is at breaking point- normal people can’t reduce their incomes any further. Mortgages, bills, food, petrol , everything has increased and salaries have not risen in line so we are all poorer with less disposable income.

The government need to reduce welfare spending for only those who need it and make those who can, work. And it needs to be financially worth it to work. Without the threat of taking off our pensions when we are older.

They need to reallocate funding - the international budget is disproportionate to what we can afford when people in this country are struggling.

We need to not support illegal entry immigrants.

This country has become a joke. Like Macron said; our welfare system is too generous. Our country has been ruined to be honest and people will leave.

Our school systems are inadequate, our health service is inadequate and our personal safety has gone. Going on a train and being stabbed, knife crime, increased rape and attacks on women, unsure why people would live here.

So no they shouldn’t take anymore tax- they should look at how to reallocate what they already have and use it properly and sort this once great country out before all the decent people leave and we’re left with scrounges.

They just get more and more incompetent as the days go on.

It's shocking how much they are caving into the back benchers who are on a spend spend spend, no cuts mission.

It's worrying that whilst Reeves and Starmer are both our of their depth and the vultures are circling for them, the cavalry waiting in the wings are going to be even worse.

The money needed has to come from somewhere, and however it's raised different people won't like it.

Have people forgotten “fully funded and fully costed” already?

No they won't. This is bonkers and naive. Workers don't want to pay even more tax or NI for something they already pay huge amounts towards and they will still be last in the queue as everyone else is prioritised before them. Every year taxes go up and our services get worse. The Government is getting more money from us than ever and productivity is just getting worse and worse. Throwing money at something endlessly doesn't make it better (remember that old saying about doing the same thing over and over again in the hope it will work is a sign of insanity).

They need to cut tax and encourage companies to be based in the UK - the UK now looks completely uninviting to anyone that wants to invest here. The message is basically that they will punish anyone who wants to make an effort. This is such a negative and destructive message. Why would anyone come here to work or invest if you know you are going to be heavily taxed and treated as though you are scum.

The procedure for removing a sitting PM varies from party to party.

So do. I. But the people who've had it in for the party since before the election will continue to sow discontent, despite the fact that world events have had an impact since the election.

YANBU. The pair of them are ridiculous.

Reeves is supposed to be a skilled financier. She is supposed to make a decision based on her expert knowledge and understanding of economics.

She is not meant to change her mind every time a back bencher whines about it.

Where is her conviction? She needs to take a decision, get on with it, and let all the companies and households work out how they will survive.

And then she needs to not come back for more, for the rest of the parliament.

Instead, she's hopeless 🙁

I presume you think it was sensible as you’re probably not impacted and now you might be by other means ….

And what they actually need to do is

cut spending

not raise taxes on business and individuals

Look up polling. It might surprise you. The people propping up Labour are declining every day.

I think income tax needs to rise. I think it was short sighted to say it wouldn't prior to the election.

They need to target value for money. They feed billions of pounds out, with little or no return, thinking DWP sub-contractors, councils paying out grants and not managing what next... care needs to be taken from private contractors, housing back from failing housing associations, job centres made to actually properly check, assess, help every job seeker. No matter how much money they take from us, if they can't manage their household and stop funding those who bring nothing to the table, then we are doomed!

The disgraceful thing is that the press are whipping this up: if someone they talk to speculates about what might happen, it's presented as definitely going to happen. I think there are also 'mischief-makers' talking to the press to make the whole situation seems more threatening and chaotic. Fear-mongering. Also what many people forget is that the Tories reduced NI in their last budget before the GE, fully realising that they probably wouldn't be in power any more and thus putting the next government in a difficult position. If this government raises NI to what it was before this cynical move, people see it as a much worse thing to do than it actually is.
Another also: many people don't realise what NI contributions are spent on. Even if you use private medicine/dentists, you have still almost certainly benefitted from the NHS when you were younger .If you were the
unfortunate victim of an accident or need ground breaking treatment such as organ transplant or some cancer treatments, you'd use the NHS.

Finally NI is used in the following ways: to support state pension/job seekers' allowance/employment support/maternity support/bereavement support. The NHS is funded from NI contributions and general taxation, plus some money from prescription charges and NHS dental charges.

Well said.

The problem is that she doesn't have the support for the welfare reforms that would make the proposed tax increases palatable. I agree the backtrack is an absolute disaster though as now it underlines the fact that she needs the money but doesnt know where to get it from. They really need to stop blabbing everything in advance and just lay it on the line on budget day

So Labour can blame world events for the state of the economy under their leadership, whilst simultaneously saying that everything over the previous 14 years was entirely the Conservative government’s fault (and nothing to do with serious world events)?

UK tax rates for high earners are relatively lower compared to countries like France and Germany, where higher social security contributions increase the overall tax burden. The UK's top income tax rate is 45%, which applies to income above £125,140, while many other European countries have higher rates that kick in at lower income levels.
That's how they have better services. There is no such thing as a 'free lunch' Someone always pays. London Evening Standard taxfoundation.org

Exactly. We simply don't pay enough tax in the UK.

It was pathetic for them to promise this in the manifesto.

The basic rate of income tax is too low and too many low paid workers don’t pay anything. I would support 2p (maybe even 3p) on the basic rate. I’d also support introducing a new band, starting at something like 5k. If you receive an income, you should pay tax on it.

Combine this with an end to the prolific spending on those with anxiety/depression/ADHD/mild autism and there’s loads of money to be raised.

I’m a basic rate tax payer too, FWIW.