Middle earners punished

[Eucalyptus321]

I am feeling so disheartened and frustrated by how middle earners are constantly suffering at the hands of ridiculous government priorities. My husband and I have a greater household income than other families we know but have less cash in hand due to increased taxes coupled with the fact we receive zero benefits like child benefit or tax free childcare etc. ZERO. If they want middle earners to fund the country thought tax then at least support us with childcare costs. It’s a joke that two parents earning £99k each get childcare funding but parents with one £101k salary and one £25k salary receive nothing. I just need to speak to people who understand the burden of raising a family amidst the current financial climate and then the potential of further tax rises!

Today I learned that 90k is considered a middle income 😳 I earn 40k before tax and my DH earns 35k, and I thought we were middle earners! We don't live in London, but not too far from it.

I'll preface this by saying I am completely unimpressed and disillusioned by Labour. But who should we have voted for instead? Which party that was likely to achieve GE victory was honest? Cared about normal people? Was going to invest in public services and address inequality? Throwing silly playground insults around does you no credit whatsoever.

High earners people on PAYE should not be paying so much in taxes

@dottiehens Do you really believe someone who is earning £1.8 million a year in the City of London (which equates to about £80k a month take home) shouldn’t be paying more tax if the country desperately needs to raise more money? Okay, they’re already paying a high percentage of their income in taxes, but if £80k a month is your take home pay then you can easily absorb more taxes. Someone on £35 or £40k can’t.

How much of "your" taxes are paying for benefits for other people? I read to be a net contributer you need to be on a salary of 41k if you are a part time teacher you probably aren't there so your husband taxes need to cover 4 people for your family to be net contributers. My husband and I both make over 80k a year and don't have kids so we are contributing more than your family. So is it me you want to pay for your childcare? I actually have no problem with universal free childcare for pre school children and would be happy to pay more tax to support that. But you don't actually need it you just want what you see as free money that other people get and you certainly don't want ypur husband to have to pay more tax to mean other people in your financial bracket it so what's the solution?

The middle earners will HAVE to fund the country through tax as the high earners don’t fancy it either.. but they can afford to leave.

Yes, the ones on benefits.

People who earn £100k should not get childcare funding, this is insane. Are you even aware what the average salary is in this country???

I've always been a Labour voter. Never again. Literally never.

Yes, it was very predictable that the bulk of the costs of funding Labour's ambitions would fall on hard working people. Not the particularly rich either. It would also be optimistic to think this will be the last time we are heavily taxed. The precedent has been set that no welfare reform is required.

And the middle earners aren't going to tolerate people on benefits having a better lifestyle than them

Are you for real?
How long exactly do you spend rolling in your cash each day @Beddiem?
🤑💰💸💵💷💶💴

A free holiday fund every 3 years? How does that work?

I am real. I’m so heartily sick of paying for endless benefits.

oh the joyful irony....people on way above average incomes whining how hard done by they are, moaning about the 'handouts' everyone else receives...whilst seeking a few 'handouts' for themselves. Almost foot-stamping at how unfair it all is. Rarely proud to contribute to a welfare state and everything that means. Rarely able to see the bigger picture of privilege in the current economic climate. What a number the powers that be have done on us, eh?

Average full time pay is £37k. A couple where both people are earning more than double that are not middle earners or anywhere near the middle.

How can you be proud to contribute to a welfare state that pays people more to stay at home on UC than work full time. That’s the issue! If the welfare state was fair everyone would be fine with it. It’s not. It’s an abomination and Labour are too gutless to do anything about it.

Unfortunately there is no easy solution to the economic issues in this country and there is no govt party that can "fix" it easily so that everyone is happy. Torys have brought us where are now, Labour can't fix what is broken, Reform are a shit show. LibDems and Greens? I can't see how they'd be better. The world economics are on the floor following a global financial crash and pandemic, energy crisis following Russian invasion, USA tariffs and their financial volatility.

It sucks that grown adults earning a decent wage are struggling to enjoy it and you should be able to moan about it OP but there is no quick fix, it is likely to get worse. The class/ wage level infighting is worthless as everyone feels hard done by. We can only prepare as best we can for our own financial futures.

Well, you'll be pleased to hear that after being made redundant in Sept I have secured work. A few months later and my buffer would have run out and I'd have started to claim UC in the hope I could keep my home (unlikely) and support my son (lone parent). That you feel sick about a system that supports people in difficult circumstances really saddens me. I know you are not alone. I just hope my friends didn't feel that way about me.

You are eligible to apply for it every 3 years. It's just funds that go toward a holiday

Noone objects to benefits as a safety net

But it's completely reasonable to object to benefits as a lifestyle choice

People don't feel sick about that at all. That's what it's meant to be used for. They don't agree with it being used as a lifestyle choice that is more beneficial than supporting yourself through work

Low wages are the problem. Most people on UC are not living some sort of high life you're imagining. Minimum wage jobs do not pay enough to run a home and support a family.

My mum’s family all live in London. Her aunt, her cousin and her cousins four children who have children. They aren’t on benefits nor do they earn £150k

Most on benefits don't.

You do not understand the incentives removing childcare at £100k is creating.

I earn £0 between £100-150k because of the removal of childcare support, plus tax rates of 47-62% on the estate of that income. So I take home nothing extra on a third of annual earnings.

I know many; many people in this situation. I know hospital consultants working part time to claim them, or they lose money. I know people with ‘1%’ salaries working part time to claim. Couples putting tens of thousands into pensions (tax loss to the exchequer), as otherwise they have a lower net income.

Nursery for two can be £4.5-5k a month. £100k after tax, NI, student loan is also about £5k a month.