Absolutely rinsed in this budget - almost £1k a year worse off.

[Mushroo]

Honestly in despair at this government. On a very high level calc, we are so much worse off!

We both pay a lot into pensions, so the NI change is about £700 a year worse off.

We have an EV car, so based on our 4k a year mileage, it’s about £120 a year. (Although how it will be enforced I have no idea).

Stagnating tax thresholds, probably about £100 a year between us.

Council tax F house (4 bed end terrace, not a mansion, needs renovating). So risk of revaluation after having paid a fortune in stamp duty. We didn’t get first time buyer stamp duty relief because we bought about 2 years too early, and we moved before Covid so no relief there either. So overall we’ve paid about £30k in stamp duty already over our lifetime.

Weve already had the private school hit (which is a separate debate and we’ve accepted that) but wow, we are just being kicked on all sides.

We are classic ‘middle earners’ - earn about £70k each, but have mahoosive mortgage and pay over £2k a month in nursery fees already.

Every measure just seems to have a negative effect on our lifestyle, which is ‘comfortable’ but increasingly squeezed.

I feel like the public sector get incredibly good value for money for the work I do

‘Rinsed’. Hardly.

It’s beyond a joke at this point. I hope this government is out of power long before 2029.

Exactly. I’ll cry in my 1 bed flat

It’s not though.

Okay.

I’ll get the violins out

I get that but I don’t see why better off people should be seen as cash cows to fund a higher benefits bill. Scrapping the benefits cap so people can have more children and the state will pay for them all instead of being sensible with their choices. Stinging our young with university loan repayments far above inflation or mortgage rates. Giving pensioners the triple lock which we can’t afford. Making a life on benefits far more attractive than working in a modestly paid job. I honestly think people would accept more tax if there were decent roads, healthcare was appropriate for a major developed country and major projects happened on time and on budget rather than dragging on for years and costs ballooning. I’m ok-nearly a pensioner but God, I feel for my children who are working hard-for what?

So what?
Its not widespread and the allowance is £77 per week, if you want a better car than that can buy, you have to pay upfront.

The number of families with 7 kids, unless blended, is very small.

Plus higher tier cars have gone now, Labour removed them, the Tories kept them in place

Because people who earn less clearly don't work hard and are in poverty because they squander money. If you live beyond your means and can't cope with fluctuations in interest rates and taxes, or unforeseen life events, then that is not being sensible with money. That is on you.

It sickens me

If we paid more in, we'd have these things.

Tax burden in Europe is a lot higher than the UK.

How can you be feeling squeezed if you each pay £35k a year into pensions?

Spiteful.
look at it another way - all those women who were forced into pregnancies that they didn’t wasn’t will be able to feed themselves more often.

Well ya have to do a bit less driving the won’t you. Pay a little less into pensions and invest it elsewhere. I mean I’m on £57k and £1k a year would be a lain but not enough for a mumsbet post. Crikey.

I feel quite mellow about the budget. Yes I’ll pay more tax as a result, but it could have hit me worse (if they’d put 2% on income tax rates, had their “mansion tax” at a lower threshold etc) so in part the scaremongering stuff worked for me as I am actually relieved because I expected worse. However I am not devoid of empathy, and appreciate some are hit hard and this is going to elicit an emotional response for those that are right now. I don’t have an EV for example, but I am not gloating and saying those that do need to suck up the consequences of their luxury choices. Or come onto mumsnet to post tiny violin emojis.

BUT I really want to see results from the tax rises in this budget - roads, NHS, education, crime stats, control of borders, inflation really need to improve. People are much more likely to be happy to pay tax if they see the other side of the deal, it’s a social contact. I say this as someone whose payment on account i am preparing to pay in January to HMRC would make most people’s eyes water.

I would rather have a better paid job than to prop up parents who can’t afford their kids

Exactly this. I can’t get over the wailing and gnashing about this budget. The country is financially battered, hence the tories calling an early election to get out before the mud stuck to them. We will be about £100-150pcm worse off once the changes come in and do you know what, we will survive. If it means the NHS fights another day, hungry kids get fed, and the load gets spread then so be it.

You actually sound extremely well off.
Hopefully you make regular contributions to your local food bank.
Its nice to help those worse off than yourself.

Luck always plays a part, every single successful person I know or have heard talk on the TV says so. It’s not the only factor, and hard work, skill and qualifications, drive and ambition all play a big part too. But to say luck is nothing to do with it is ludicrous. Lucky that someone saw your potential, or that a job came up at the right time, or that you saw the opportunity. Lucky that you had the good health or free time to support to gain the qualifications in the first place.

New cars don’t need an MoT though so how will they work it out? Perhaps they’ll ask you to self-declare and then true it up to actual mileage when you finally need an MOT

We are two hardworking professionals who earn less than you but not loads less. I can't afford to put extra into my pension, have an electric car, have a 4 bed home or send my kids to private school so I'm not feeling much sympathy.

What’s ludicrous is to say luck always plays a part. How could you possibly know that? Did you attend their job interviews? Have you met every single person who earns over 100k? But I can see you’re basing your opinion on what you’ve heard on TV. Maybe someone noticed potential in others because they worked hard within their job environment and got noticed that way

Maybe brush up on your comprehension skills, mix with successful people more often and you’ll see that high achievers are often humble and realistic about how they got where they did. Hard work, vision, and a lucky break.

I think you actually need to read what the implications are for you falling out of the budget as its looking like you have seen the headlines and panicked.

10% of public sector employees have a salary sacrifice pension and around a third of private sector employees. Based on other threads, a lot of people have panicked when it’s clear that they are not in a salary sacrifice pension.

Ditto with the mansion tax.