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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think 51% tax is ridiculous, and already to be planning to move to Asia

805 replies

hedgiemum · 22/04/2009 14:33

Namechanged. Married to someone who earns well in excess of £150,000 a year, though neither does he earn 7 figures.
He is still quite young in his career - a recent promotion to a senior position, but has not been earning this kind of money of long, so we still have a mortgage and haven't saved large amounts (what we have saved is through his pension which is no longer going to be particularly worth doing.)

He phoned me a minute after end of budget to say he'd watched it with his boss whose reaction was that he would move the company (not a bank, but in finance) to Asia. Probably Hong Kong - 12% tax rather than the 51% we'd be paying here.

Seems like a kneejerk reaction, and clearly we can afford to pay more, but boss doesn't feel he'll get good productivity from staff if they are getting to take home less than half their income. Plus it decreases ever-present risk of them being headhunted by companies in lower-tax economies.

AIBU to be PLEASED (I used to hate tax exiles.) Partly because it just does not seem fair. Partly because this country has been run so badly by New Labour of whom we had such high expectations, and the medical care we have received has been shite, the local schools are shite, the roads are insanely busy and yet is costs so much to live here.

OP posts:
diedandgonetodevon · 22/04/2009 21:22

Gosh, what a lot of sour grapes on this thread!
OP fwiw you have my sympathy. £150k is not the vast fortune so many seem to imagine it to be.

BigBellasBeerBelly · 22/04/2009 21:24

I think that the GPs got a hammering for making all appointments same day for this very reason - they were neglecting patients to keep their stats healthy.

I think there is a code of practice now that they ought to offer advance appointments.

certainly our GP practice has trumpeted proudly that it "now offers a limited number of advance appointments" for about a year now, as if it was the most amazing earth shattering thing ever.

I recommend that if you are having problems you change your GP.

MollieO · 22/04/2009 21:25

I've never had a problem in getting same day appointments. If I have a query which I think doesn't merit an appointment (usually about ds) I leave a message and my GP calls me back at the end of surgery. Surgery open from 8am to 7pm every day and GP does on call cover every Saturday. It has been known for my GP to diagnose and prescribe antibiotics over the phone. I am in the SE.

Haribosmummy · 22/04/2009 21:25

Well, my DH works primarily in Russia.

He couldn't even get time off to look after our new baby. He certainly can't take a day off to go to the doctors.

And, as for an NHS dentist... that's just an utter joke. Even my 11 MO SON can't get on a waiting list for an NHS dentist in our home town.

sleepwhenidie · 22/04/2009 21:26

its gone a bit quiet on here suddenly..presumably all the people criticising high earners have dashed off to watch The Apprentice !

BigBellasBeerBelly · 22/04/2009 21:27

Well if you are in Russia for most of the time I imagine it can be rather inconvenient to attend a doctors appointment in the SE

Sounds like it's his job which is causing difficulties not the NHS. Especially if they are ignoring legal rights like paternity leave.

spicemonster · 22/04/2009 21:28

No one is saying it's a vast fortune. But is is more than 99% of the UK population earn. Now I'm sure that MN has a higher percentage of high earners than average but the fact is that it is a high wage compared to most people. And that British tax has been lower for years than most countries. So frankly, high earners have had it good for a long time.

beforesunrise · 22/04/2009 21:29

have not read the whole thing so no doubt it's been said before- but given we have narrowly avoided (for now at least) a catastrophic financial and economic meltdown the consequences of which we can only begin to imagine, i don't think it's too unfair that those who still have a job and earn a lot of money contribute to it.

taxation is meant to be redistributive. i'd rather pay a lot of tax now in the knowledge that if the sh*t hits the fan there'll be a safety net to keep me from crashing. actually, even if i never need to use benefits etc, i still want to know that others are not going to starve etc.

Haribosmummy · 22/04/2009 21:31

It's a Uk company, and he's not there ALL the time but he has to be READY to go... so (taking the NHS, which I did say I was just using as one example!) advance appts. are simply not an option and, with our GP anyway, getting something short notice is always met by a snotty response (though, to be fair, they did see DS VERY quickly when he came down with a suspicious rash which could have been serious - as I said, I'm NOT knocking the NHS here..)

My point is that the people who are being taxed so heavily don't see (or percieve... whichever word fits best) the benefit for the taxes they are paying.

That's my point. I'm not knocking the NHS. I actually think it's a great service - totally mistreated, but that's another thread altogether!

BigBellasBeerBelly · 22/04/2009 21:31

£150K pa is a lot of money.

It just is.

Full stop.

It only feels like not so much money when "minimum lifestyles" are actually very opulent and you are surrounded by people with similar earnings aspirations and lifestyles.

FAQinglovely · 22/04/2009 21:33

wow just ploughed throught the entire thread.

OP - when are your tickets booked for - we'll have a goodbye and good ridance online party for you before you go.

goodnightmoon · 22/04/2009 21:34

spokette, yes thank you for answering the question fully. However you are far more guilty of sneering than I. Please re-read your sneering posts about Americans, bankers, and anyone else who offends your sensibilities.

hedgiemum · 22/04/2009 21:34

Right - I'm trying my best here to answer some of the many salient points. I have to say I've calmed down a bit since earlier, and I KNOW I am being a bit unreasonable to want to dodge the new higher tax regime. i need to make my peace with it. Ultimately it won't be my choice anyway as we'll go where the work is.

silverfrog "I wouldn't mind this tax increase if I was getting something back for it."

I have real sympathy for your DD's situations with health and education. We don't have anything as extensive, but like you, a big part of the resentment I've discovered inside myself is because we have had to spend money on so many things that the state claim to pay for from taxation. The most expensive thing was cancer diagnosis for an extended family member - the treatment was great on the NHS but before that there was a long wait followed by an incorrect diagnosis and then the promise of another long wait, at which time we paid for the relative to go private for diagnosis. His Consultant said it probably aved his life. I am sooo glad we had that money to spend, and furious for those who can't opt get this kind of essential diagnosis on NHS. (And aren't going to any time soon, as the new taxes will go towards paying off our HUGE debts.)

theDreadPirateRoberts "I asked because friends of MIL's moved to France because they didn't approve of immigration into this country, and thought taxes were too high. I asked if they considered themselves economic or political migrants, but it didn't go down too well wink"

This made me Roffle!

By MadameCastafiore "And really if you have that much money - how about going back to school - maybe there you can be taught about the taxation system because your first post makes you look incredibly thick!"

Never claimed to be clever - though I did well in my good subjects so fairly average I guess. Not offended - good try though - sorry!

MorrisZapp "Have to say, I'm deeply suspicious of anybody who moans about taxation. It's terribly Daily Mail I always think!"
Now that is offensive. Horribly. Can't you tell I'm a Daily Telegraph reader?! (And I'm even doing kakuro most days to try and improve my arithmetic!)

Nancy "To defend the OP she has been very good humoured about it, does say she knows she is privileged and doesn't come across as some ranting young Tory - well not to me anyhow."
Darn it! I should have stayed quiet about reading the torygraph! Perhaps I'll still qualify as good humoured though?! Either way, thanks!

hf128219 "I would really like to know the answer to this Q:OP - Would such a tax increase impinge on your life? It it only an extra 10% on any amounts over £150K."

Its not the amount itself, its the fact that DH feels that only taking home half (and in good years yes it will be half, or very close to it) of his paypacket is removing our choice from where we spend a large amount of money. You've only got my word for it (but thats all you've got for any of this) that I do not own Jimmy Choos or in fact any designer gear beyond one Mulberry handbag which was in a sale and my 30th birthday present. We give a lot (me in time, him in money) both to charity and to our community - we were foster carers before having DC and would love to do this again when DC are older. I guess its because I feel secure in what we do with our lives that I can take the flack on this thread. I do think its a debate thats worth having, in the context of the budget today.

Swedes "to OP Couldn't you get a p/t job to make up the shortfall?"

I'd be lying if I claimed a shortfall which will affect our quality of life - we'll save less for old age, pay house off slower, but still be extremely lucky. Me not working outside the home is a deliberate choice as DH has much higher earning potential, and gets bored of childcare quite quickly, so we are working to our strengths by concentrating on our own area of expertise.

OP posts:
TiggyR · 22/04/2009 21:35

To The Young Visitor - sorry if this has been answered somewhere else in this thread but I can't face reading all 14 pages with a fine-tooth coomb! You say that in effect the 'rich' (whatever that is) pay proportionally less tax than the poor because the poor are disproportionately hit by 'VAT etc' Sorry to be dim but could you explain how? I have heard this many times and but no-one have ever actually spelt it out for me! Percentages are percentages plain and simple, surely?

Also, have to agree with those who have said that the only people who have creative accountants at their disposal are the super-rich and/or self employed people/business owners. Anyone on straightforward PAYE, no matter how well remunerated can do much to get round their tax bill. A friend of mine's husband runs a plumbing company and he takes a basic salary from his business that is about a third of my husbands (who works in banking). Guess which one is better off??!!

FAQinglovely · 22/04/2009 21:36

"and gets bored of childcare quite quickly"

how sad that he finds his own children "boring"

spicemonster · 22/04/2009 21:37

OP did you read my several posts pointing out that the higher level of tax in the UK has been lower than the UK every other EU country other than former Eastern bloc for years?

Why do you feel you're being penalised?

pooka · 22/04/2009 21:38

I'm in south east and have never failed to get a same day appointment if urgent. For non-urgent cases the receptionist was terribly apologetic that I would have to wait all of 4 days. Pretty good IMO.

Also have NHS dentist.

OP's husband earns "well in excess of £150K".

That is a lot of money. Even in London. Even in the south east. DH takes a good wage from his business (set up by his grandparents). Nowhere hear £150K. Pay 40% tax. And I begrudge not a penny of it. You still work out as being well-off. And that is the way the welfare state should be. I don't think dh works exponentially harder than my mother (a secondary school teacher) or my grandfather (a metal work teacher) did. Of course we should pay more tax because we have a larger income.

hedgiemum · 22/04/2009 21:39

Sorry for typos and the layout of that long post not being very clear - have 2 yr old on my lap as I type, as she's woken up puking. Gone back to sleep on me now, and don't want to transfer her to cot yet, poor mite.

OP posts:
BigBellasBeerBelly · 22/04/2009 21:40

Cripes FAQ I find childcare quite boring myself, and I'm going to be on mat leave soon and penned in with my toddler!

Not sure you can lambast for that one, for a lot of people it is quite boring!

WilfSell · 22/04/2009 21:40

Has anyone said yet: 'don't let the door bang yer arse on the way out?'

I think they should have gone further and imposed 65% on those earning over 250k too.

Stop bleating. And feck off.

BigBellasBeerBelly · 22/04/2009 21:42

I think that's the thing - how can anyone say that £150K, and especially well in excess of £150K, is anything other than an awful lot of money.

When a person starts from that point, it is hard to be sympathetic to anything that they say, frankly.

goodnightmoon · 22/04/2009 21:44

i think a lot if not most people consider childcare boring at least some of the time.

beanieb · 22/04/2009 21:45

So (and my maths ain't great) but in good years - does this mean he earns something like £400,000+?

cthea · 22/04/2009 21:47

"DH feels that only taking home half (and in good years yes it will be half, or very close to it) of his paypacket" IT'S NOT HALF!! How can someone who lacks such basic understanding of the taxation system of maths be paid so much? No wonder this country is in such a mess if idiots are paid £££. Sorry, but needed saying.

policywonk · 22/04/2009 21:47

To be fair to the OP, she has taken a pretty big kicking with a good humour. And she has a puking child.