to be fed up of hearing 'I've worked hard for my money'

[newbluesofa]

Lots of chat on MN recently about taxes on high earners. So heard lots of 'we have this money because we work bloody hard for it' and honestly I'm sick of it and think the people who say it are selfish.

Nurses work incredibly hard, long shifts, difficult job. Carers provide absolutely essential service, again shift work, difficult hours, difficult job. Teachers provide essential work, I know multiple teachers and they all devote evenings, weekends, school holidays to the detriment of their own families. All of these jobs also have huge emotional tolls. So 'I've worked hard for my money' means nothing to me, because a lot of people work a lot harder for a lot less.

I don't think you understand the stress that goes with a well paid position. Not delivering is not an option, even if it means working 20 hrs straight with no overtime or additional salary. 80 hr weeks are standard and if the salary (no overtime, no bonus) is broken down to an hourly rate, then it's actually not that high and is poor reimbursement for the high stress levels. Why do it then? Future security. Which of course then gets pilloried when you retire.

People have choices of where they work and their work progression. No one is allocated a career at birth. Some consider potential earnings and future job security before studying something at uni.

I'm not saying others don't work hard, but you are minimising what is required in high paying roles.

I live in Cornwall. No person of colour has ever delivered anything to me. The only POCs I see are flying drones for the scenery. Not working. Every person doing any job is white-skinned.

Again, relative poverty. Doesn't have to be measured against the 3rd world, but an ever moving goalpost is hard to reach.

YANBU
Some people earn lots and don't work hard at all. It could be the interest on their vast savings.
Then you get people who work very hard and get very little, such as people caring for a disabled relative.

There have been a few high earners on this thread say they don't work hard. They love their job, and find it easy.
Then you get people on NMW who find their job very difficult, both physically and mentally.
I can guarantee no one on £100k is facing the threat of violence in their work day.

Either way, it is not a competition. The press is doing a grand job of pitting everyone against each other.

I think in the UK, in 2025, we shouldn’t have poverty - relative or otherwise.

I think what im most sick of hearing is the claim taxes are high. I'll be paying an extra £36 a year in tax. Whoop de do.

People need to get a grip. They love to moan when feral kids roam the streets, when their own little darlings are 'disrupted' by the sen kids in class, when the roads are full of potholes, when the grass is overgrown, when high rise building go up on flames, when houses cost too much, when the shops are all closing down because everyone buys it online... endless endless moaning. If they had 2 braincells to rub together they might realise a correlation between these things and the amount of tax we all pay.

The actual rich people are laughing at all of us.

Gosh yes but we are talking about the UK

My husband is an additional rate tax payer the sacrifices he/we have made:

• My career and my ability to return to the workplace in any capacity really (no tax free child cares really hinder this too)
• A decade living abroad meant (whilst a great experience) our families missed the grandkids being born. We missed multiple weddings, my grandmas funeral, the birth of our nephews etc etc.
• Evenings, weekends, family holidays, weddings. No time is sacred, my husband has had to work all these times and more.
• Extensive work travel - he has missed all the nativity plays at school. We are fortunate he has never had to miss his children's birthday.
• The time energy and stress of completing two additional degrees whilst raising a family
• A tax bill over £80,000 pounds which works out about 48% of our total income. You are given a breakdown by the government, over £30,000 of this went on welfare and £10,000 to service the national debt!!!!

I think it's important to add we both went to state schools, I am a product of the welfare state and we will not inherit. We have dragged ourselves up by the bootstraps so to speak, the whole situation (tax mainly) can feel very frustrating and unfair at times. We live a very normal lifestyle but appreciate we don't worry about bills or putting food on the table.

Relative poverty can't be eradicated. Which is my point. Incomes rise, lifestyles improve, the goalpost changes. If you think we shouldn't have it, then we can measure poverty in that manner.

Is it a sin to have parents who did well and weren't in poverty?

And presumably a home here you could rent out while your houses abroad all expenses paid

This is the stupidest argument I have ever heard! Yes, everyone works hard at their job but everyone doesn’t earn the same. Most high earners earn that much because they spent years educating themselves and putting in long hours. My sibling earns 400K plus, as a lawyer, equity partner in a law firm. She works crazy hours, travels a lot and has a high stress job. She spent a lot of time and money on her degree and also put in the work to rise to the top. She is brilliant at what she does. I have also worked hard throughout but I took 7 years out and was a SAHM. I earn around 48K now. So I made some choices which meant I lost out on such a high flying career. At one point I earned the same as her but now we are not even in the same league. I am still not able to earn how much I did before I had two kids! My sister bloody well deserves that money for the sacrifices she has made along the way.

When you choose a career most people have the intelligence to think about the prospects in terms of money.

Similarly Nurses are aware that Doctors are paid more highly but they choose that as they prefer it over the number of years of training and hard slog it takes to be a doctor. You can’t compare apples and oranges!

Sorry it's not the point of the thread but can I ask (because I always wonder when I hear about this kind of workload) - you said

Evenings, weekends, family holidays, weddings. No time is sacred, my husband has had to work all these times and more.
Extensive work travel - he has missed all the nativity plays at school.

Is it worth it? For the money? Genuinely asking

Exactly

It's not a sin, but people who benefited from it need to be aware of that before they judge others who did not have the same privilege

Don't think anybody is saying their life is better, in fact it sounds much more like people who make less are complaining that their life isn't as good. So who's really making it all about money?

People died under austerity.

Having not quite enough to send your kids private is nothing in comparison. Compassion doesn't only work in your direction.

It sucks, I'll give you that, but the whining from high income earners has been very disproportionate to the tax pain from this budget. Especially considering the squeezing of income of lower earners and benefit claimants over the last 15 years.

We are still a mid tax economy with a free health service.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
The most disabled in society who currently get £800 a month will get £600 from April. That's a 25% drop in income. So anyone is entitled to complain about losing money. It's shit. But seriously, the percentage you're losing is peanuts. Noone will support you if you only bleat about yourself. Campaign to lift all the boats and people might also have compassion for you.

Well if everyone would get off their butts and work hard rather than rely on the state for handouts then we would all be better off. If anything having parents who were not well off should make you want to work harder and leave your kids better off rather than being jealous of those whose parents did just that. Look up to people who made the right choices and put in the hard work as those are people to emulate rather than hoping the state would take money off them and hand it over to you! Like one of the posters above mentioned no one can have everything. So when you work hard long hours you often have to leave your children with strangers, not kiss them goodnight, miss school functions etc. Everything comes at a price, even money.

Omg you’ve just assumed I’m one of “them”

we live in a a structurally oppressive society for people of colour, women etc

it’s not a level Playing field

you can’t just say “work harder”

Whoever the “them” are

We should be looking up to those people to give us a helping hand. Which we are.

Yes the people who’ve been able to commandeer more of the worlds resources because of their privilege

Hear bloody hear!