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

[hedgiemum]

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.

i am not denying that muslin

i am denying all high earners now have been this way for 'long time'

Abetadad "If the income tax rate goes up to 50% for people over £150k then the firms who employ people like the DH of hedgiemum will have an incentive find a way round it or leave the country."

• Yes. When an unpopular government which now seems mildly corrupt, short of ideas, has fought an illegal war, and has allowed our economy to be destroyed much more than that of comparable countries introduces something like this it is especially hard to swallow. I knew our taxes should and would go up. But was expecting %45 and maybe the pension thing, not this.

Goodnightmoon "Hedgiemum, the industry is in a shambles, and taxation is likely the least of the worries for your DH's boss."

• His company are not cowboys and have not had losses. I know this is the popular perception, but its just not true of the whole of finance.

Sleepwhenidle

• Your post said what I think better than I'm managing to! Thank you!

Haribo's mummy & others - Its not just that if DH is ill he cannot get a Dr's appt quickly. He cannot (legally) make personal phone calls from work (and doesn't take a lunchbreak - or dinnerbreak when he needs to work late). he also cannot take time off work for an appointment or because ill - unless extremely severe illness - and even then has to blackberry/phone the whole time. he has no choice but to go to a Private Gp who will see him at 9pm or before 7am. The same is true of many other areas of his life - a lot more expensive because of the responsibilities he has.
I only bring this up because the debate is progressing there, its not an intrinsic part of my point because we will still be able to afford all these things.

FAQ - I misrepresented him there. He does not find our DC boring, he loves them and enjoys their company immensely - hence why we (nearly) have 4. Our weekends are committed to each other and them, he doesn't go out drinking or pursue hobbies. He does get bored very quickly with the ancillary things around childcare like unloading the dishwasher, changing nappies, remembering which PE kit each child needs, and so on. I've read plenty of posts on mnet from women who don't like those things either, I don't think its unusual. I on the other hand have had a lot of fostering training, and experience with DC. I enjoy home-making. That was my point.

Spicemonster - its an interesting point. I missed your original post as there are so many, very sorry . I guess its the big jump its taken so suddenly, the removal of pension advantages and basic allowance, the whole thing really when I was already starting to feel disillusioned with the New Labour government that I thought 10 years ago would really improve our country. taxes have already gone up a lot (for everyone), public spending has shot up, but there don't seem to be many real improvements. Of course, this is just my perception.

splitting hairs suzi: so what? None of us are born earning money. Taxation is a fair and sensible way of recognising social policy needs and should be pegged to wealth.

Who else, exactly, should be paying to dig out of the global economic crisis? The poor?

Not read the whole thread but Twinset that is a v good post.

And to whoever the idiot was who implied that only high earners are intelligent and work hard - grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I think that's splitting hairs suzie. I'm sorry if your husband has only just gone into that top tax bracket and you're going to have slightly less cash than you'd calculated but I don't have a huge amount of sympathy when as so many other people have pointed out, I know so many people who have lost their jobs over the last few months.

spicemonster jumping to conclusions there aren't you

wrong ones sadly

and many low earners are never going up anywhere.

suzie - I'm making assumptions because I can't figure out why you have sympathy for people who have previously been low earners and now are high

No worries hedgiemum - thanks for your reply

he can't phone for a doctor's appt but he's on his phone all the time. He has no lunch break and no dinner break.

It sounds like your dh is a slave. It is just not possible for anybody to be productive for a full nine hours between 8.30 and 5.30 for a full 5+days a week, I don't care what anybody's job is. There will be quiet times, there will be doodling times, there will be spending longer than necessary on the computer times, there will be having a not-serious chat times, especially in an office-based job.

This charade of people's importance and non-stop productive life is just bollocks.

Do your sums 1st before moving to HK. A lot go out for the tax breaks but they are often single or dinkys.

HK friend pays 35k in rent (to buy it would be over 1 million) for an average 3 bed apartment & pays out £25k in kindergarten fees which will increase once both children are in fte. However he only pays 4k a year for a 24/7 maid & it's v cheap to eat out. The dcs won't have any outside space but the quality of education is good. Private health care provision is also v gd.

but you know I still don't buy the "boring" thing.

By that token should people be feel to find work (or not) that they find interesting, and not bother with anything boring???

Could you imagine the outcry on MN if someone started an

"AIBU to not get a job because the only ones I can apply for are too boring"

'He cannot (legally) make personal phone calls from work'

So you're saying the law does not allow him to make a quick personal call from work. Explain please.

i know this is a contentious issue and i do believe in taxing the rich (honestly!)

I vote labour as i think them fairer

i would have preferred a higher hike for higher earners

these rises would not be necessary if w bankers did not defraud one and all in the name of bonuses

"he also cannot take time off work for an appointment or because ill - unless extremely severe illness - and even then has to blackberry/phone the whole time"

I'm no employment expert - but is that legal????

I find it very sad that people are saying you cant tax high earners any more they will just find a loophole. It does not do them much credit. It would never enter my head to try and avoid paying tax.

hedgiemum, your beef isn't with the NHS, it's with your dh's employer.

There are GP appointments available outside 9-5, it's just your dh's employer demands ridiculously long hours and apparently keeps your dh away from any contact with the outside world by phone (although you do know many GP surgeries allow you to book an appointment by email now, don't you).

The failing is not the NHS's, it's the employers' and your dh's (because your dh chooses to work for that company).

Unless you want to pay a top rate of 60 per cent to put resources into the NHS to employ GPs to work beyond 9pm...

AAARRGHH, as fast as as feel I've caught up with the debate, it moves on and I all behind. I'm really sorry. I am trying here! DD back in bed now, 2 changes of sheets later, ugh.

I'm also really trying to change my perception. I posted this at all, and in AIBU in particular, because I think its worth debating but more because I felt myself feeling things I didn't want to or expect to feel. As I've already said, time (and quite probably the kicking I'm getting here) is helping me to think about the good things in the South East, get into perspective the amount of money we're going to lose, etc... (But Monaco does sound enticing Cote!)

I really cannot comment on exactly how much DH has earned beyond saying he's never earned 7 figures. If my figures are not adding up then its my maths that are to blame, not that he earns millions! And as I keep saying, I have talked to him for 1 min since the budget - a pretty dramatic conversation ("boss wants to move us all to Asia as even less competitive to employ staff in UK than it was before").

We will be affected by the 51% tax - but I think it's perfectly appropriate...And so does dh!

You are right OP, yanbu, I really do feel sorry for you.

I will think about your situation while I sit on my arse doing nothing in the public sector. In fact I'm ashamed to say that you all paid for my half day annual leave today. Here, let me pay you back...oh wait I can't because once again I have had my debit card refused this week as I have gone over my enormous overdraft. Not because I have a new car, or foreign holidays, no, because I had the temerity to come from a working class single parent family, put myself through uni and get a public sector job, as did my husband. Oh yes, and we had the gall to have a baby, and then chose to work part time rather than spend the equivalent in wages on childcare. I expect you'll all be wanting me to pay you back for my maternity leave that you pay for.

(Btw, this rant isn't solely directed to the op, but to all the public sector bashers here.)

hmc earning too damn much then

FAQ dp and i run our owwn business

the nature of it means that he in doctors terms 'works' 24/7

that's 168 hours a week 365 days a year - unless we pay someone to be there 24/7 for him

I don't earn a bean - dh does that!

"Its not just that if DH is ill he cannot get a Dr's appt quickly. He cannot (legally) make personal phone calls from work (and doesn't take a lunchbreak - or dinnerbreak when he needs to work late). he also cannot take time off work for an appointment or because ill - unless extremely severe illness - and even then has to blackberry/phone the whole time. he has no choice but to go to a Private Gp who will see him at 9pm or before 7am. The same is true of many other areas of his life - a lot more expensive because of the responsibilities he has."

Well not many of us can make personal phone calls from work. I am still waiting to hear what this profession is that so important they can't take an hour off to go to the doctor. I have worked in finance (investment banks, asset management etc) and people might think they are too vital and important to take an hour off for a GP appointment but that's all in there heads.

ideal

ermmm Suzi - I'm confused as to which point of mine your post was answering