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.

Completely agree. The hardest jobs i've had were the ones that paid the least, and as I've climbed the ladder and my salary has increased the work has become easier and more pleasant.
I'm sure some people work hard to earn their big salaries, but there will inevitably be people junior to them doing a lot of grunt work for a fraction of their pay.
They will no doubt argue they worked hard earlier to get there. Which is all well and good, but there's only so much room up top, so a lot of equally hard workers won't get there, because they were less fortunate in one way or another.

They both lose their job.

What are you actually trying to say? That it's ok for the cleàner to lose theirs but not the surgeon? The cleaner must be better? I'm not sure what you mean.

Very true op. Salary rarely reflects how hard you work.

As a 7 year old I used to sit on the stairs at nighttime and listen to my parents argue about how they would pay the electricity bill or buy my sister a birthday present. I thank my lucky stars everyday that I don't have to worry about this, that my children will never have to worry about this and that we will hopefully be in a position to allow my children choices and opportunities that I never had...
To me that makes it worth it...
Honestly though, it is taking it's toll on my husband and we do often consider our options!

Thanks for answering genuinely. My parents did the same!

And what about social inequalities?

And you don't know the intricacies of another.

Everyone is important or the job does not exist.

Or are you calling for the scheme for full employment?

What are you actually trying to say? That it's ok for the cleàner to lose theirs but not the surgeon? The cleaner must be better? I'm not sure what you mean
Missing the point completely. The cleaner 'oy' loses their job. They can easily find another one. Their lifestyle is unlikely to be affected. They even get as much income from the UC they can claim to make up for the loss.

The surgeon loses their job....their credibility, the respect and work for years to gain. They are unlikely to find another simular job without having to move miles away if at all. It is unlikely to happen for a long time. They will likely be sued by the family and spend years fighting to not end up in jail for manslaughter. They will have to put their house for sale to pay for legal costs. Their family life will fall apart...

The two are nowhere near comparable. THAT is one of the reasons why the surgeon earns much more (in addition to skills and experience).

I don't think it ever leaves you. I'm sure if I could be arsed with therapy all paths would lead back to that 😂

But @forestdance you were able to study through circumstances, ability to find, opportunities. Carers also take qualifications and look after people unable to look after themselves, often antisocial hours and sometimes subject to physical abuse even. They don’t deserve such a pay differential just because they aren’t good at book learning. We have a team of carers looking after dsd 24/7 and I feel guilty about how little the council pays them.

I never really see it as a competition. When someone says it, it doesn’t mean they are saying they worked harder than others, it’s a simple statement of fact, they worked hard for it. It isn’t a competitive statement,

I don’t get the fact someone says I worked hard for it, and what someone like the op hears is I worked harder than you. That’s not what is said or intended,

So that explains the surgeons higher pay? Yes?
Which they do get. I understand that.

But they should ALSO be exempt from societal rules because they are more important and more at risk? So their renumeration should be higher or they should have higher societal standing?

Not being a dick, sorry, Im neurodivergent and don't always get it first time round!

A decade spent abroad missing out on family -very much a choice you made.

You’re a “product of the welfare state” yet seem to resent a portion of your husband’s tax payments going towards welfare.

I don’t. I do know the intricacies of my own job, and I can tell you that it didn’t save anyone’s life during the recent pandemic.

I can tell you I’ve never had to wear a bin bag as PPE on an ICU ward, like my SIL.

Compared to that, my job really is just “tell people what to do.”

Nursing salaries are a joke. Teacher salaries are too. We trust these people with our children and our lives and pay them £5k above the FTE for NMW. Disgustingly low.

Because people who are high earners are constantly been made to feel they have to justify what they have worked for

people are very quick to slag them off if they earn over 100k but never mention they pay about 37k into the public purse and dare I mention they have to pay for their own child care

As a family we only make £150-155k . We don't go around seeing those on higher salaries and think "damn I wish the government took more of their salary". Kudos to your sibling for what she's achieved. And kudos to you for raising your lovely DC.

I am working hard and I am Grateful

I'm not.

Bloody well done.

I just don't see why they're upset at paying a very slightly higher tax rate when poor people have had their incomes eroded to the point food banks are now common place and some people have died.

I didn't grow up "rich". I had less than what today's UK poor have. DH and I lost both lost a parent young.

Everyone can feel like they work hard. Give it a rest.

100% agree. Most of the UK's wealth is inherited or indirectly acquired via the 'contacts' of public schoolers.

A lot of the jobs that are actually essential to society are the ones that are the least respected and the least well paid whilst many meaningless jobs are well paid and respected.

@MurdoMunro I get where you are coming from. My dad worked in the emergency services and he would frequently miss Christmas. But he never travelled away and when his shift finished he was just off duty, simple as, didn't even need to think about work until he next went in (although I appreciate there is a mental burden he carried from his work).

I have met multiple median earners who may tick some of my examples. Many are incredibly hard working and make big sacrifices for work. But I have never meet a median earner who would bear the full breath of this burden, whilst I have meet many high earners that do 🤷.

Through my life experience I feel I've meet enough people from a breath of different backgrounds and income brackets to feel I've got my radar tuned pretty well on this one. But I understand this is just my opinion informed through my life experience. That being said many people make assumptions about high earners without actually knowing any.

I have to say. Thank you and your DH for your service.

Would people slag of surgeons who earn good salaries? I guess they would if they dared to operate in the private sector and MADE MONEY

😱 😱

Because it shouldn't be one or the other. There are people hoarding billions, no one needs that much money.